NBA history says Wembanyama is about to break loose in year three

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James. What do they all have in common? They're at the top of just about every list you come across when the discussion of the greatest player of all time comes up. Why is that relevant to Victor Wembanyama? He has the potential to insert himself into that conversation, but that seems to be getting forgotten, so I figured I'd remind you.

The NBA GOATS always have a dominant third year

In Kareem's third year, he averaged 35 points and 17 rebounds. He made the first team All-NBA and won the MVP award that season. The sky-hook connoisseur was also the MVP in his second season, but this third season was even better. Fans were surprised to see Wembanyama on the MVP Ladder in December last year before the wheels fell off the season, but he was just keeping pace with the legends.

Michael Jordan sadly got injured in his second season and only played a total of 18 games. When he came back in his third year, he was a man on a mission, averaging 37 points per game. He also made the first team All-NBA and was second in MVP voting. Air Jordan also earned Defensive Player of the Year votes that season. MJ had emerged.

Then comes LeBron James. Like Wembanyama, his hype train was stronger than any we'd ever seen. He more than lived up to his potential, too, I would say. In his third season, he averaged 31 points, which ended up being the highest single-season average of his career. It was amazing to watch, and though he never scored more, we can all agree he kept getting better and better.

This is what Vic is in line for.

Wembanyama has GOAT-level talent

When Wembanyama was on his journey to the NBA, evaluators stood atop watch towers with their binoculars and rang the warning bells that an alien was on a collision course with the league to decimate what you believed to be possible with a basketball. We were told that he was the greatest prospect of all time in any sport.

When he arrived and began demonstrating his extraterrestrial-like ability, many claimed that analysts undersold how good this kid was. If he's the greatest prospect ever and exceeded expectations, that should tell us that he's the next real threat to end up as a pillar of the GOAT debate.

So, while we're talking about how good San Antonio might be based on what they add, we need to think about what Wembanyama is about to do when he touches down next season. He's going to be more motivated than ever after having his season cut short. The term "scary hours" doesn't begin to describe what's on the table for the Alien next season.