Boston Celtics: Could Victor Wembanyama be a future draft-day steal?

7-foot-3, an eight-foot wingspan, rim protection like Rudy Gobert, a shot like Kristaps Porzingis, and only 16-years-old. Could Victor Wembanyama be a possible draft-day steal for the Boston Celtics down the road?

In 2013, the Boston Celtics had a chance to take the hidden gem that was Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA Draft. Instead, they traded up to grab Kelly Olynyk.

While Olynyk did have some great moments in green, he clearly isn’t near the level of Antetokounmpo. There is someone who may be able to make up for the Giannis miss, however, and his name is Victor Wembanyama.

While anything from a hidden gem, as Wembanyama is already a 2022 projected top-five pick, there is still a lot that can happen between now and then. There has been recent hype when this video was released of Wembanyama playing two-on-two with Utah Jazz Al-Star big Rudy Gobert.

The kid has a lot of Kevin Durant-esque qualities to his game. He’s smooth, has a great shot, and his length is ridiculous.

As it stands right now, it doesn’t seem it would be a “steal” for any team to grab him, as any scout at any level can see a clear talent and the upside in which he possesses.

On the other side, we have seen players from Europe slip before.

Most recently, Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and, as mentioned before, Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the shamrocks can hop up into the top-5, as they have done before, they could possibly get a franchise-altering player, with more upside than even Jayson Tatum.

It’s understandable that there are a plethora of “if’s” for Boston to land Wembanyama, but we’ve seen crazier things happen. Mike Schmitz of ESPN, who has been on the Wembanyama bandwagon since last year, wrote this piece in February about the big man.

It will be two years before he is eligible to enter the NBA draft, but he is definitely a player to keep an eye on. Here is a recent highlight type if you want to see what the hype is about.