Lakers Legend Jerry West: Victor Wembanyama 'Reminds Me of a Bigger Bill Russell'

The hype and praise for Victor Wembanyama reached another level Saturday when NBA legend Jerry West went on SiriusXM NBA Radio and said that the San Antonio Spurs rookie reminds him "a little bit of a bigger Bill Russell."

"You rarely see someone that combines his brain and his ability," West said.

"Just watching him play, it's an easy game for him to play, very easy. Never looks like he's really working, and if you watch really great players, they don't look like they're working hard, they're always in the right place at the right time.

"But I think when he comes into the league...if you watch him defensively, he ruins games. He reminds me a little bit of a bigger Bill Russell with a big reach coming from everywhere, blindside. So...any offensive player is going to have to really be cautious about where he is, because he is going to mess up some offenses, that's for sure."

That's what happened Friday in Wembanyama's Las Vegas summer league debut. He blocked five shots and led a defensive effort that held the Charlotte Hornets to just 29.9 percent shooting in a 76-68 win.

Wembanyama shot just 2-of-13 for nine points, but he showed that he doesn't need to score or even shoot well to have a profoundly positive impact on the game.

Russell won an NBA record 11 championships in 13 seasons thanks largely to his legendary defensive and rebounding efforts, which propelled the Celtics into a dynastic run in the 1950s and 1960s.

The five-time NBA MVP and five-time rebounding champion pulled down 22.5 boards per game for his career. Per Basketball-Reference, the Celtics finished first in defensive rating in all but one of his seasons (second in 1967-68).

Russell is truly one-of-one thanks in part to an unparalleled resume, but it's easy to see Wembanyama forming a similar path and becoming the defensive stalwart and top player of his generation.