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Fail For The Frenchman: Should Knicks Tank For Victor Wembanyama?

Victor Wembanyama appears to be one of the best NBA Draft prospects in this generation. Should the New York Knicks make plans to try and position themselves in a place to draft him?

Jeremy Brener

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The New York Knicks are looking for that next star to truly complete their team alongside RJ Barrett and Julius Randle.

They made it work with Jalen Brunson in free agency, and while the jury's still out on him, they need to make another move. That move could have been a trade for Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, but the Cleveland Cavaliers beat them on that offer.

Maybe the Knicks' approach is wrong. Perhaps free agency or the trade market isn't the route to take if they want to improve their team. It's possible that the draft is the best-case scenario, especially with Victor Wembanyama headlining this year's generational draft class.

Many teams, including the Jazz and San Antonio Spurs, appear to be plotting to tank this season in order to position themselves for Wembanyama. But in the case the Knicks don't land on the moon, they could still land a star in Scoot Henderson, Nick Smith, or Amen Thompson.

Wembanyama showed in his exhibition against G League Ignite why he is so coveted. He scored 37 points while making 7-of-11 threes and blocking five shots. Nobody in NBA history has recorded a stat line like that ... making him arguably the most intriguing draft prospect since LeBron James 20 years ago.

Wembanyama is a pipe dream for a team like the Knicks, but will New York be in a position to land him? Likely no.

The Knicks finished 37-45 last season, holding a better record than 11 other teams. With the addition of Brunson this season, the Knicks project to be slightly better, at least to linger in contention for the Eastern Conference's Play-IN Tournament.

While having a generational prospect in New York would be nice, the team should not waste a year while on the rise to flop for a chance at one of the top picks.

However, if injuries pile up in the early part of the year and things begin to go south, it might be better to shoot for rock bottom than to just settle for mediocrity.

Wembanyama's Metropolitans 92 club faces G League Ignite in another exhibition on Thursday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2). 

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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