Wembanyama's presence in the "best player in the world" conversation matters more than his place

Victor Wembanyama is reaching greatness at a very young age, and there's good and bad that come with the territory he walks in. Hoops Tonight host Jason Timpf ranking him tied as the best player in the league with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic is incredible recognition. But the criticism he used to disqualify Vic from solely possessing the crown completely ignores what's most impressive about all of this: he's 22.

"And if you make the case for Wemby, he looked completely inept on offense at several points during the postseason, and his inability to take control of games on offense just led to his team putting together a legendary NBA Finals choke job." - Jason Timpf

Timpf's not wrong about the flaws he discussed for each guy. Jokic didn't always look great on his way to getting bounced early, SGA's efficiency plummeted as he got outplayed by Wemby in the Western Conference Finals, and Vic couldn't put his stamp on the games against New York. Fair points; let's also acknowledge the elephant in that debate room.

Wembanyama's biggest advantage is something Jokic and SGA can't replicate

Let me be clear here: I'm not about to argue that Victor Wembanyama should unequivocally be recognized as the best player in the world. But when we discuss his weaknesses and the high-stakes moments he fell short in, we should acknowledge that the 7'4" Frenchman is only 22 years old. There's still a ridiculous amount of room for him to grow.

SGA just turned in his age-27 peak season with a second consecutive MVP season. He led the Thunder to 67 wins and an 8-0 start to the postseason, and it all came apart against a Spurs core experiencing the playoffs for the first time—a San Antonio franchise that hadn't been to a conference final in over a decade.

Jokic is 30 years old and is playing some of the most statistically absurd basketball we've ever seen. He's a three-time MVP who can't get his team out of the second round. Neither guy has anywhere close to the runway to fix their errors. They mostly are who they're going to be.

Wemby is only three years into this league, and the "inept offense" Jason is pointing to happened in his first-ever Finals appearance. Gilgeous-Alexander didn't reach that stage until year seven, and the Joker didn't see it until year five.

Wembanyama doesn't need the No. 1 spot... yet

Jason Timpf's breakdown only briefly touches on that part. Jokic's and SGA's shortcomings in the postseason are symptoms of players who have already shown you the fullest version of themselves. The Alien hasn't reached his peak. He's still a 22-year-old figuring out how to be the best player on a Finals team. It's a problem that will resolve itself with reps.

No disrespect to Shai or Nikola at all here. Both of them are still an honest argument for number one. But being tied with Vic right now, criticisms and all, isn't a compliment to them as much as it is to Wembanyama. It's more of a warning shot to them. Give it two years. This tie won't hold much longer.

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