In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green and former NBA guard Jamal Crawford discuss the unique talents and future impact of San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor "Wimby" Wembanyama. Draymond opens by noting Wembanyama’s versatile skill set and the risk that his ability to do many things could disrupt teammates if not properly channeled. Jamal argues that Wembanyama’s greatest asset is his defense and the "little things" he does—consistent shot‑blocking, help positioning, and altering shots—that make him better than the hype. He emphasizes that Wembanyama’s offensive role is still undefined; Popovich will likely highlight a specific strength (pick‑and‑roll, rim protection, or perimeter shooting) rather than rely on scoring. Both agree that Wembanyama sees the game like a guard despite his size, giving him a guard‑like vision that sets him apart. The conversation then shifts to franchise strategy: whether a team should build around Wembanyama immediately (a three‑year, Joker‑style approach) or take a longer‑term view (five‑to‑seven years, akin to building around a player like Embiid). They conclude that the key to maximizing his impact lies in surrounding him with the right pieces and allowing his defensive prowess to anchor the team. The segment includes a DraftKings sponsorship read, but the core discussion centers on Wembanyama’s defensive excellence, positional versatility, coaching utilization, and strategic franchise planning.
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Thank you.
Tell me this, so I watch Wimby. I haven't got an opportunity to play against him yet, but I watch him.
Oh yeah.
And he's a special talent, but I think it's gonna be important for him to figure out what it is that, like, he almost can do too much and it could possibly get in the way of his teammates because he start to float and you don't necessarily know where your place is on the court.
Right, right.
You know, like, ah, now he up there and, and like, great scorers are gonna move around, but most great scorers, you know, like, you know where they getting it at. Wimby sometimes can get it here, get it there, get it all over the place. And I feel like as he moved forward, it could possibly interrupt the flow of his teammates if he don't learn how to channel. What's your take on like his next level of growth and becoming who he can be in the league?
Before he came in the league, I said, and I said, obviously he has a cheat code in Pop, right? But I said his skill, whatever he does best, early, we don't know, but it'll be highlighted, right? So Pop's gonna play him to a strength, whether that's pick and roll, whether that's setting the pick, whether it's catching on a certain block, whether it's getting in transition, whether it's trail threes, whatever it is, they're gonna highlight that. The cheat code is Pop though, because I don't think Wemby's best attribute is scoring.
Yes.
I'm not sure what it is right now, but I called the game when they played the Hawks probably a month ago. And Draymond was crazy because he does stuff you're not supposed to do. What I mean by that is he may do something in space and like, "Oh, that should be a floater." Yeah. Like anybody else, that would be like, "Oh, he got to a spot, that's a floater." He's getting to that spot and he's reaching around dunking. You're like, "What?" Like that don't even add up, bro. We ain't seen that. And then that game in particular, this is what I love about him. Pop brings him off the bench the second half.
Really?
Brings him off the bench the second. He starts the game, obviously. He didn't like the energy that group had, brings him off the bench. And he came in in that second half and he scored 23 points. But it wasn't that, he's blocking everything. And this is what you'll love about him. He's a little thing, as good as the talent he is, he's a little things dude. That's his game changer. So he's better than the hype. Not 'cause the shit you can see, it's the shit you can't see. He's a little things dude. Every single time he's sprinting, try to block shot. Every single time he's running, every single time he's in the right area on help. Every single time he makes the right play. He's a little things dude. And this what really got me. After the game, I'm walking out, he's in the weight room. He puts his, he sees me, he drops the weights, he comes down, he shakes my hand. He shakes my hand, he doesn't even say nothing. He just puts his head down. Like he wanted some wisdom or knowledge. I saw he's gonna be great because he, he, he wants to keep learning, the drive to keep getting better. But the little things he does besides the big things you see is why he's gonna be outta— he's actually better than the hype. It's scary.
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That's insane. Like I said, I haven't got an opportunity to play against him, but I actually think, to your point, I think his best attribute is his defense.
Yes.
He can control a game defensively right now better than he can offensively.
Yep.
And he's already pretty amazing offensively, what he can do.
In the Rising Stars game, he literally locked down the whole key. And I said it, I said, I said, "To win this game, you're gonna have to get a mid-range shot 'cause you can't go in there and you can't pull up a 3." And my guy, I don't wanna mess up his name.
Bozelis.
Went to a mid-range. And I told Bozelis after the game, I said, "I'm glad somebody did because you weren't going in the key." Even the shots he doesn't block, he alters. You're thinking about him. Oh, I can get this one off. He goes and gets one. You're like, damn, I ain't seen that. We use the word different so much, but he actually is different. I think what he is for real, I think he was a guard that he just stretched all the way out. So he sees the game like a guard.
Yes.
He's not like a big trying to dribble. He sees the game like a guard. Oh, boom, boom. That shit went right there already. Shoot it. Like, he's like, I'm like, damn. He's a different breed. I seen it in person. It's crazy.
That's exciting.
The little things is what separates him though.
So if you starting a franchise today.
Yeah.
All the guys in the league, you starting it with Wimby?
Is my franchise trying to go for it the next 3 years? Are we trying to go the next—
No, no, no. Let's say you starting a franchise and you know, you're the owner of the franchise. So you, could be tough going all in in the first 3 years. You know, like you try to go all in the first 3 years. It can possibly set you back another 5, 6 years. For sure.
That's what I'm saying.
Going forward in 3 years. So just say you starting it and the runway is the runway.
Oh yeah, for sure. There's no doubt. If it was 3 years, then it's like a Joker, right? Or it's like Embiid. But if it's like 7 years or 5 to 7, yeah, it's him for sure. Now it's just about who's gonna play with him. And to your point, okay, what does he do best where we can, we know what to put around him.
Yes.
You know what I'm saying? So that part of it. But if it's that, it's without a doubt, he's the one I'm starting.
