Something to keep an eye on over the next few years will be the Holmgren vs Wembenyama comparisons. It's a narrative I've already seen pop up and is yet another microcosm of race in basketball - "Wemby", the most highly touted prospect since LeBron, is viewed as "more athletic" and as having "higher upside" than Holmgren by default.
Wembenyama made his NBA Summer League debut last night, and posted nine points on 2-for-13 shooting with eight rebounds, five blocked shots, and three assists. I watched a bit of this game, and frankly I don't want to draw any conclusions on a 19 year old's first preseason game. But my main takeaway is that he does not have good instincts as a big man and uses sheer length to defend and score. I noticed this while watching him the French league as well - there just weren't any 7ft bodies that could match up with him. The Hornets B Squad likewise, and he still only put up 9 points. I've seen people tout his "handles" and while that's nice, he's not going to beat anyone off the dribble in the NBA.
Holmgren has had 2 games so far in the summer league, and while he did not light it up either, one thing that stands out in comparison to Wembenyama is how much more physical he is. He's noticeably added weight and has a very aggressive mindset as a rebounder and defender. It seems like he simply has better instincts around the rim and can highpoint the ball extremely well off the glass.
I think both of these guys will get better and be productive players, but I'm not really seeing a huge gap between them. At least not one that warrants the level of hype Wembenyama has gotten compared to Holmgren.
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