He is the star of the 2023 NBA draft. The French player Victor Wembanyama (a.k.a. Wemby), a 7'2" prodigy, is said to play 'like a player a foot shorter.' But what does this mean?

#Explainer

For the past few months, basketball fans around the world have been raving about the games of a young 19-year-old French player: Victor Wembanyama.

Commentators see him as a "prodigy" and have already promised his career will be historic. The first thing you notice about him is that, at 7'2", he is very tall. But, he's also particularly agile, fast, and skillful. A rare mix in basketball where, contrary to widespread belief, taller players are not necessarily the best.

Certainly, their size allows them to take advantage of certain situations around the basket. But they are also often considered less agile, slower, and more fragile. To understand why, it is necessary to take a look at the biomechanics of the sport.