Latest Wembanyama praise comes with strongest proclamation yet

In less than a month, the San Antonio Spurs will take the floor against the Dallas Mavericks in their season opener. It's about time. Spurs fans are foaming at the mouth in anticipation of what should be a coming-out party for Victor Wembanyama.

The best part about having a young player with the work ethic and ability of a Wemby is that there will be several coming-out parties as he continues to take leaps in his game. It's the most advantageous position imaginable for a rebuilding organization. You have the utmost faith that he'll continue to uphold his end of the bargain while you invest in him by putting the right pieces around him.

Everyone else has faith in him, too. It's why he's so often the topic of conversation in basketball circles. The latest example is former Los Angeles Lakers guard and NBA head coach Byron Scott, whose quotes can be found in a well-written article in The Athletic by Doug Haller.

"If he’s everything that I keep hearing about as far as his work ethic—and I’ve heard the kid is extremely humble and works extremely hard—he’ll be the best player in the NBA in three years." - Byron Scott

Wembanyama could break the league this season

According to Haller, Scott expects Wemby to lead the Spurs to a large enough leap they'll challenge for the playoffs, if not outright make it—a strong prediction considering how strong the Western Conference is every year. Some believe a jump from 22 wins to whatever win total would be necessary to make the postseason is unrealistic.

However, if people could predict everything based on the past, we would never be surprised by anything. That's the beauty of sports and the evolution of the game. Players come along with capabilities never-before-seen, making it that much more exciting.

Wembanyama has already made a habit of pulling off highlight plays that drop the jaws of viewers everywhere on a regular basis. It would be premature to predict a ceiling for an athlete with skills nobody has ever seen before.

There may be some disagreements about whether the French superstar will be a top-10 or top-15 player this season, but what hasn't been disputed is that he'll be in that range. If you look at various lists like this CBS Sports top-100 ranking, the players in Wemby's projected range make the playoffs. Every single one of them.

It's because the best players in the league routinely and unequivocally impact the game in a special way. Yes, they also have strong supporting casts, but that's exactly what the Spurs will have this season if the rest of the young guys take the step forward fans expect.

If San Antonio makes the playoffs in Wembanyama's second season, and he ends up as the best player in three years or less, the Spurs may turn into one of the most desired destinations in the league. Players will be falling over themselves to play with The Alien—as they should. He's going to get a lot of guys paid.