Scott Van Pelt: Victor Wembanyama villain narrative is ‘overstated’
· Yahoo Sports
The media has landed on Victor Wembanyama’s villain arc as one of its top storylines coming off an incredible NBA Finals, but ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt is pushing back.
Wembanyama not only skipped out on media, gave out cocky quotes and denied his Knicks opponents customary handshakes after the series, he also roughed up several opposing players and talked trash heavily throughout San Antonio’s playoff run.
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The young Spurs phenom certainly gave his detractors plenty of ammunition to put a target on his back heading into next NBA season.
However, Van Pelt said Monday on his podcast that he believes the situation is not all that different from what many super young star athletes go through, and called the idea of Wembanyama as a villain “overstated.”
“The list of things that this 22-year-old could have done better, it’s lengthy,” Van Pelt said. “There’s things that, in review, this 22-year-old can look back and say, ‘Where I can I get better?’ There’s things he could do that don’t draw the ire of people. The game will mature. He’s got to add more tricks to the bag.”
The SportsCenter host also acknowledged that the rest of the media and fan community seeing Wembanyama that way is ultimately a good thing for interest in the league, fair to the French star or not.
“For the league, not a bad thing at all to have a villain. To have a guy this talented, this young, that people are going to want to watch,” Van Pelt explained.
“And if they’re going to root for him to fail, doesn’t hurt the league. Helps the league. I just believe it’s overstated. I believe this is a thoughtful, incredibly talented guy that will get better across the board. And I think we’re grading with a real sharp pencil and being harsher than is fair in turning this guy into the worst thing that ever happened.”
While The Ringer’s David Jacoby said on a podcast that he hates “everything about” Wembanyama, and New Yorkers Jay Williams and Tiki Barber each ripped the Spurs star for his attitude and immaturity, plenty of young sports stars have gone through this before. Just ask Anthony Edwards, Ilia Malinin, Noah Lyles or any number of history’s best athletes.
In this case, Van Pelt is putting his neck out for Wembanyama to remind fans that though his mistakes may have been high-profile and he will need to get better, he is not the first or and won’t be the last to face such an inflection point early in his career.
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