The NBA General Managers deliver, as usual, their predictions before the resumption of the regular season on October 22.
The three shots of the NBA season are fast approaching. Resumption on October 22. And like every year, the North American league surveys general managers. Investigation during which the name of Victor Wembanyama often came up. At 20 years old and with only 71 games under his belt, the French prodigy from San Antonio is the player that 77% of GMs would choose if they were starting a franchise today. Oklahoma City’s young Canadian star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver’s three-time Serbian MVP Nikola Jokic are far behind at 10%. Last year, Jokic was in the lead.
For 40% of GMs, “Wemby” is also already the best defender in the NBA, ahead of Bam Adebayo (Miami), Jrue Holiday (Boston) and Rudy Gobert (Minnesota), the latter having inherited the best defender trophy for the fourth time in 2024 in front of his young compatriot. The best interior defender? Wembanyama again, ahead of Gobert (40 against 37%). The Spurs, however, only represent the fourth most promising young squad with 7% of the votes, behind OKC (60%), Orlando (20%) and Houston (10%). The former Nanterre, Villeurbanne and Mets player is also the third most versatile player in the NBA for 10% of GMs, tied with Kevin Durant (Phoenix) and Jayson Tatum (Boston) but behind Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee, 30% ) and LeBron James (LA Lakers, 20%).
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The double for the Celtics, Gilgeous-Alexander at the top
Of course, San Antonio is out of the question for the title race. Nothing surprising. The Spurs are, however, second in terms of the teams that will progress the most, behind Memphis (67% against 13). For the General Managers, there is in fact only one huge favorite for the coronation, Boston. Title holders, the Celtics collect 83% of the votes! Far ahead of OKC (13%) and Dallas (3%). As for the final ranking of the Eastern Conference, GMs vote Boston (39%), New York (22%), Philadelphia (21%) and Cleveland (9%) ahead of Milwaukee (6%). In the West, they see Oklahoma City (35%) ahead of Minnesota (21%), Denver (17%), Dallas (15%) and Phoenix (15%).
Second at the end of last season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the favorite for the MVP title (40%), ahead of Luka Doncic (Dallas, 30%), third in 2024. They are ahead of a trio composed of Joel Embiid (Philadelphia) , winner in 2023, Jokic, awarded in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and Jayson Tatum (Boston, 7%). Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown (Boston) and Anthony Edwards (Minnesota) also received votes. Not Wembanyama, who should indeed not be in the conversation due to the results that we can expect from San Antonio again this season.
Position by position, Doncic (Stephen Curry was in the lead among point guards since… 2015), Edwards, Tatum, Antetokounmpo and Jokic are the best in the eyes of GMs. “Wemby” received votes for the position of strong winger, but he already appears in third position among the pivots (3%), behind the “Joker” (87%) and the ex-future player of the team of France Joel Embiid (10%). He is also third in the ranking of the best foreign players in the NBA with 3%, behind the ogre Jokic (87%) and “Luka Magic” (10%), the French leader of Saint-Quentin Nolan Traoré being the fourth international player which evolves outside the NBA for General managers.
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Rookie of the year, Risacher far from the mark?
Last but not least, the GMs are not particularly confident about the chances of the French number 1 in the Draft to win the title of Rookie of the year. Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta) is not even mentioned in the ballot, unlike his compatriot Alex Sarr (Washington), number 2 in the Draft. The favorites are Reed Sheppard (Houston, 50%), Zach Edey (Memphis, 30%) and Stephon Castle (San Antonio, 13%). When asked which rookie will be the strongest in five years, the son of former international Stéphane Risacher appears in third place (13%), only ahead of Sheppard (43%) and Castle (17%). . Sarr is fourth (7%), tied with his new teammate on the side of the federal capital, the so-called Bub Carrington. It’s up to them to make the GMs lie.
