The Ringer names Victor Wembanyama the top NBA player 25 or younger

Endless upside? Check. Marketable? Check. Foundational cornerstone? Check, check.

The 2024 Conference Finals are here, and for the first time since 2005, neither LeBron James, Kevin Durant or Steph Curry are still playing. (In fact, this is also the first time neither of them were in the second round.) Not only that, but of the four teams remaining, each team’s “face of the franchise” is 26 or younger. It would seem a new generation is ready to take over, and right in time for The Ringer to release its annual rankings for the 25 best players 25-and-under, and there’s a new face at the top: Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama.

That may be a bit controversial since he just completed his rookie season while players like Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic are still playing and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was runner-up for MVP, but The Ringer laid out its logic, including taking into account a player’s marketability and future potential. On a scale of 1-10, they asked their panelists to rate players in the following categories:

• Current performance: The current quality of the player’s overall game.
• Future performance: Where the player’s overall game will be in five years.
• Gets the people going: Charisma and marketability. Is this player appointment viewing? Would your niece or nephew want to buy their shoes?
• Intangibles: All of the qualities a team executive looks for in a player: leadership, injury risk/history, reliability. Does this player get it?
• Foundational qualities: Can you build a franchise around the player’s game? How adaptable is it?

In the end, Wemby came in first overall with 48.1 out if 50 points and led in future performance, intangibles and foundational qualities. Here is what they had to say about him:

1. Victor Wembanyama

Age: 20 | Top 100 ranking: 16 | Overall score: 48.1

21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks, 51.9 eFG%, 71 GP

Reason for hope: Literally everything, including the intangibles. We already know Wemby is an elite shot blocker who can guard five positions, who can handle the ball like a guard, who can shoot and pass and drive and do all sorts of things we’ve never seen before from a guy who stands 7-foot-4. Cool. But consider everything else we’ve learned: He cares. He works. He loves the game. He’s confident as hell but strikingly humble. He seems like a great teammate and a joy to be around. Talent is a prerequisite for greatness, but it’s Wembanyama’s overall persona that makes me believe.

Reason for doubt: Only two things can possibly derail or diminish Wembanyama, both out of his control: injuries and the roster. Is he a bigger injury risk because of his height and build and the way he moves? I’ll leave that to the kinesiologists. As for the roster, I trust the Spurs to build the right team around him—just as they did for Tim Duncan (multiple times over).

Bold prediction: I’m not sure any prediction for Wemby will sound bold, given the potential we’ve already seen. But here goes: He’s winning at least three MVPs, three DPOYs, and three championships. — Howard Beck

What do you think, Pounders? Is Wemby already the best young player in the league, and was anyone snubbed — like say, Devin Vassell? I personally would place him above Jabari Smith and Darius Garland, but perhaps the panel sees them as having more future upside. (And the article didn’t give an “also received votes” list, so maybe he was 26th. No telling.)