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?Going to Be Physically Pushed Around?: Comparing 7?4 Victor Wembanyama With 17YO NHL Draft, Analysts Make Questionable Remarks

ByRanjitha Ramesh

Jun 29, 2023 | 11:50 AM EDT

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The San Antonio Spurs saw an incredible stroke of luck recently, winning the first pick off the 2023 NBA Draft lottery. They picked Victor Wembanyama, a highly touted French talent who stands at an astonishing 7 feet 5 inches. The 19-year-old has managed to captivate basketball fans from all around the world with his extraordinary talent. Furthermore, he has an impressive wingspan of 8 feet. Even GOAT-contender LeBron James praised him as a “generational talent”.

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Meanwhile, analysts made questionable remarks about the basketball prodigy, while comparing him with a 17-year-old NHL draft.

Victor Wembanyama is compared to a 17-year-old NHL prodigy

The eagerly anticipated NHL debut of highly rated prospect Connor Bedard has the entire hockey world on the edge. Bedard’s talents and potential led the Chicago Blackhawks to select him as the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Like Wemby, the 17-year-old shows much promise. Bedard has maintained his position as the top prospect for a number of years. He can thank his tremendous talent and outstanding play in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and on the international level for this.

Bedard has a distinguished history. He acquired an astounding 143 points in 57 regular season games while playing for the Regina Pats last year, including 71 goals and 72 assists. He displayed his scoring skill throughout his WHL career, racking up an incredible total of 271 points in 134 regular season games. This was including 134 goals and 137 assists. Bedard’s arrival in Chicago establishes him as the face of the team. Furthermore, it also ensures that the Blackhawks, who finished the season with a record of 26-49-7, will receive immediate backing.

So, how does he compare to Wembanyama? Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon recently shared their take on this.

During their session on Pardon The Interruption, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon debated as to who might have the better rookie season – Victor Wembanyama or Connor Bedard.?While it was challenging for Wilbon to come to a conclusion, he eventually said he believes Wemby is going to have a better season. Wembanyama doesn’t have much opposition in his current league, though, unfortunately, he also doesn’t have the same kind of backing and veteran teammates that superstars like Tim Duncan did at the beginning of their careers.

On the other hand, since both Bedard and ice hockey superstar Patrick Kane were teens who were chosen as the top picks, they might be compared with one another. The only difference is that Kane started his career with the help of outstanding players like Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith, while Bedard, who is only turning 18, is, well, young.

Tony Kornheiser, however, had a different answer. He chose Bedard.

Kornheiser said,?“Wembanyama is going to be physically pushed around often during this year. He’s going to be asked to play a lot of minutes in a physical circumstance that is not to his benefit. Bedard’s going to play less minutes. Because hockey players, they play lesser minutes than basketball players with all the shifts that they take.”

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Kornheiser believes Bedard will be able to handle his rookie year better than Wembanyama, considering how NHL players have to play fewer minutes than NBA players.

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Watch This Story: How Tall Is Young Starlet Victor Wembanyama in Comparision With LeBron James, Shaquille O?Neal and Kevin Durant?

While they both had differing viewpoints, they both put forth valid points. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know your pick in the comments!