Victor Wembanyama stars, Scoot Henderson leads G League Ignite to victory in No. 1-vs.-No. 2 matchup of NBA draft prospects

HENDERSON, Nevada — With Chris Paul and A’ja Wilson watching courtside, French basketball star Victor Wembanyama, the uncanny 7-foot-5 heart and projected No. 1 NBA draft choose, placed on a showcase in a 37-point efficiency Tuesday night time on the Greenback Mortgage Heart towards the G League Ignite and Scoot Henderson, the projected No. 2 choose.

Henderson scored 28 factors and led his crew to a 122-115 victory.

At halftime, Wembanyama’s Metropolitans 92 crew, a professional squad from France, was down 71-52 earlier than his second-half burst helped his crew take the lead and battle the Ignite down the stretch.

“In some unspecified time in the future, it was nearly taking on as a result of our crew wanted gamers to step up as a result of we have been down [21 points], I feel,” mentioned Wembanyama, who admitted taking part in longer quarters for the primary time (video games in Europe are 40 minutes versus 44 minutes within the NBA and G League) affected his stamina. “Getting back from such a lead, it is a powerful process. … There are occasions, you gotta do what you gotta do.”

Henderson completed 11-for-21 and led his crew to the win along with his personal show of spectacular photographs, drives and dunks, together with a 3-pointer and reverse layup over Wembanyama within the first half.

He mentioned he by no means thought in regards to the sport as a matchup between himself and Wembanyama, although.

“It is simply taking part in basketball on a stage,” he mentioned after the sport. “That is what I took away from this night time.”

Tuesday night time’s sport was the primary of two showcases between the groups this week in Henderson, Nevada, about 20 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. The groups will play once more Thursday at midday.

It was Wembanyama’s first sport in the US. He completed 11-for-20 (7-for-11 from the 3-point line) with 5 blocks — and with plenty of noteworthy gamers and NBA reps readily available to see him up shut.

Chelsea Grey and Wilson, the Las Vegas Aces stars who’ve captured each a WNBA title and FIBA World Cup championship in current weeks, sat on the baseline. Phoenix Suns stars Devin Booker and Paul and free agent DeMarcus Cousins all had front-row seats, too.

“He is good,” Grey mentioned about Wembanyama. “To be that massive and that tall with guard abilities is sweet.”

Paul mentioned he got here to the sport to look at the highest prospects battle and due to his ardour for basketball.

“I am a giant fan of the sport,” Paul mentioned. “All of those guys try to get to the league.”

The NBA groups hoping to get fortunate within the draft lottery on Could 16 have been additionally within the constructing. Los Angeles Lakers normal supervisor Rob Pelinka was certainly one of almost 200 NBA representatives who had been issued credentials for the sport, Ignite public relations director Mara Rudolph mentioned.

Reporters from France and Brazil additionally attended the matchup.

Each Wembanyama and Henderson lived as much as the hype.

Wembanyama, who is presented with a set of abilities maybe no participant his measurement has ever possessed, started the sport taking part in level guard on certainly one of his crew’s early possessions earlier than spinning off a defender and double-pumping a layup off the backboard, which dazzled the group. After a few massive blocks, nevertheless, his offense largely stalled towards the Ignite’s strain.

“He was wonderful,” Metropolitans 92 coach Vincent Collet mentioned after the sport. “What he can do along with his measurement, his agility, mobility, not solely his capacity to shoot the three, shifting very properly. He even made a few superb passes. I feel he [had] an actual good sport however he additionally will study from the primary half. He has to struggle extra as a result of he is aware of to count on that type of aggressive protection.”

After halftime, Wembanyama confirmed off a number of the different strikes that made one Japanese Convention NBA scout inform ESPN “we have by no means seen anybody like him.” Wembanyama hit a number of 3-pointers that helped his crew get again into the sport and take the lead coming into the fourth quarter, together with a late block on Henderson’s layup try.

“Some gamers come alongside they usually’re particular,” Ignite coach Jason Hart mentioned. “He is only a particular expertise.”

One factor appeared clear after Tuesday’s sport, nevertheless, per conversations with a number of the NBA of us who watched the sport: Wembanyama could be in his personal class for the 2023 NBA draft.

Requested whether or not he’d ever seen anybody like Wembanyama, Cousin, the previous NBA All-Star, mentioned, “Nah, man.”

“These children are simply getting rarer and rarer,” he added. “They’re rising quick. They’re greater than ever. … I simply needed to be a fan and see it firsthand.”