What is the easiest way to score a basket in a basketball game? Almost everyone would unanimously say it’s the uncontested dunk after a fast break. However, since the advent of French great Victor Wembanyama, those baskets are no longer a sure thing. The 7’4″ San Antonio Spurs center has a scary 8’3″ wingspan. It’s simply impossible to get out of his reach, even for the tall, well-built centers of other franchises. Speaking of the nervousness Wembanyama brought to the league, 6’10” veteran Nikola Vučević spoke openly about the nervousness Wembanyama brought to the league.

The Chicago Bulls center would enter his 14th year next season and has currently proven himself to be one of the most important centers in the league, averaging 17.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. After dominating his opponents for 13 seasons, Vučević has new fears. As an experienced center, the 33-year-old admitted that the landscape of a center is changing. Speaking to Meridian Sports, the 2x All-Star said: “It was said that the centers would disappear. We didn’t disappear, but we adapted to the new style of play.”

And of course the Wemby effect. Vučević continued: “He is 220 centimeters tall and moves like a guard. Physically he is weaker than us, but he has the size and the wingspan.” In addition, the Bulls center spoke about the threat Wembanyama posed to the post-dominant centers, adding: “There were moments when I came to the basket, made a move that worked against everyone, made the shot – and he just blocked it. Because of him, you couldn’t see the basket.”

It’s not often that a 6’1″ tall, well-built center claims he didn’t see the basket. Nikola Vučević didn’t openly admit to his fear during a fast break, but we at Essentially Sports took the time to read between the lines. There are also plenty of images that remind us of Victor Wembanyama chasing and blocking a fast break dunk.

Is Victor Wembanyama really a threat?

Of course, there is no denying this question. The NBA world is giving a taste of what will happen in his rookie season. In addition to winning the ROYT award with 21.4 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game, Wemby has also put up some historic performances. He recorded 254 blocks, which is the sixth highest by a rookie. In addition, he has made over 86% of the total career dunks by an NBA player. If Wembanyama wasn’t scoring baskets, he would at least terrorize the league by blocking shots, as feared by Nikola Vučević.

On the other hand, Wemby also made history after recording a triple-double in blocks in a game against the Toronto Raptors, scoring 27 points, 14 rebounds, 10 blocks and 5 assists, becoming the fifth player in NBA history to achieve such an impressive statistic.

This menacing performance surprised not only the active players, but also the former players. In particular, NBA HoF Paul Pierce said: “We’ve never seen anything like this. When I talk about physical attributes and abilities, we’ve never seen anything like this, right? Nobody has the physical attributes that Wembanyama has. We’ve just never seen anything like this.” Nevertheless, all these things prove that Wemby has the right nickname, the alien.

Before you leave, check out BG12’s Dual Threat Show, where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger talks in depth about her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY tips, and more in the video below.