Since Victor Wembanyama was drafted in the NBA in 2023 by the San Antonio Spurs, he’s been the main focus of the entire league. However, not everyone has been impressed with what he’s done. Former star player Jeff Teague had a bold take on the recent episode of his podcast, “Club 520,” where he cited Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero as a better player.
Both players are considered rising stars and focal points of their respective franchises. However, their careers have different trajectories. Banchero has led the Magic to two playoff appearances and shown promise.
Wemby, on the other hand, has not been able to lead the Spurs back to the postseason. Although, he’s established himself as the team’s No. 1 star player. Still, there isn’t enough team success for the Frenchman early in his career.
Because of the difference between their young careers, Teague picked Banchero as the better player over Wemby. This is despite the 7-foot-4 center’s potential to become one of the best players in the NBA.
“I’m taking him over Wemby. I’m taking P5 over Wemby,” Teague said. “Right now, I’m taking him over Wemby, bro.”
“The reason I say he’s better than Wemby is because Wemby ain’t really did nothing. We just like Wemby because he’s a freak… He’s a phenomenal player, but I’m just going to go with what I see.”
Jeff Teague says he would take Paolo Banchero over Victor Wembanyama
"The reason I say he's better than Wemby is because Wemby ain't really did nothing. We just like Wemby because he's a freak… He's a phenomenal player, but I'm just going to go with what I see."
(Via… pic.twitter.com/la2Dv20ESl
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 24, 2025
Statistically, Wemby has shown improvement over Banchero. However, team success has been the former Duke star’s advantage over the 21-year-old star. It could take a few years for the frontcourt star to convince Teague that he’s the better player than the Orlando Magic star.
NBA insider believes the Orlando Magic will have a normal 2025-26 season
The Orlando Magic quickly addressed their shooting concerns by trading for Desmond Bane after getting eliminated in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. The team also signed Tyus Jones, a decent backup point guard, to help execute their offense better.
Despite the moves they made, NBA insider Zach Lowe thinks the team won’t have a strong 2025-26 season.
“Step back in a normal season,” Lowe said. “Neither Orlando nor Atlanta would be in this tier in a normal Eastern Conference season. Orlando is too young, too unproven. Has not had a top 20 offense in the NBA since 2012, which is absolutely insane, to go that many years with a bottom 10 offense in the NBA. Something wild is gonna happen. Orlando making the conference finals does not strike me as super wild.”
According to Lowe, the Orlando Magic’s offense could take time until the entire team could get on the same page. He also said that there will be a significant learning curve for the team.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
