Awesome Giannis Antetokounmpo statement proves he's a big Wembanyama fan

Giannis Antetokounmpo may not leave Milwaukee if you truly buy into his recent statement at a public event with fans. Still, if he did, it's hard to believe he wouldn't list the Spurs as a preferred destination. During the same outing, he told everyone that he thinks Victor Wembanyama is going to be one of the NBA's best shortly, and he wants memorabilia to commemorate the Alien's career arc.

“I want Wemby’s first rookie card ever,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think he’s gonna be one of the best players in the league in the next couple of years. I think he will have a very great career moving forward, so—maybe like a jersey, his first jersey or his first basketball shoe when he played his first NBA game... Those are great investments.”

Yeah, they are. Fantastic investments, if I do say so myself. I may or may not have a few Wembanyama trading cards, myself. It's safe to say that the projections were not overrating this man when they predicted he'd come into the league and show us things we've never seen before.

He's done exactly that and more. I think it's safe to say that he's surpassed the expectations so far, and San Antonio is going to benefit from his presence for a long time.

Wembanyama still has unfathomable heights to reach

I think sometimes people forget how unreal it was for a second-year 21-year-old center at 7'4" to average 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, 1 steal, and four blocks while shooting 35% from three, and 84% from the free throw line. He was getting these numbers without the best spacing around him, and without a truly dynamic point guard for most of the season.

Chris Paul was awesome at setting up the offense, but defenses didn't have to respect him as the same threat that they once did. De'Aaron Fox changes that equation, as does the growth of the team. It's no secret that having a strong supporting cast helps to elevate the best player and vice versa. It's a symbiotic relationship, benefiting both parties.

Fans should expect to see the best of Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Julian Champagnie. They see where this train is headed, and this is the team that either drafted them or gave them a shot after their first team abandoned them. There's a very low chance that any of them would prefer to get off before the evolution into a raging locomotive takes place.

Wembanyama projects to match or surpass NBA history's greatest

If we look at dominant players of the past generations, we can make a fair prediction about what Wemby is about to do. Giannis went from 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block to 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block per game.

LeBron James went from 27 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block to 31 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block per game. Michael Jordan has the largest scoring jump, going from 23 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block, to 37 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks per game.

MJ only played 18 games in his second season because of a foot injury, and when he came back, he dominated. It was legendary. Vic has the potential to do something similar, and while I don't envision a 14-point increase, it's easy to see him reaching 28-30 points per game, 12 rebounds, five assists, one steal, and four blocks. So, Giannis is right. Get all the memorabilia you can find of this guy.