Sizzling Showdown: Scoot vs. Victor

What we saw and heard at Tuesday's spectacular NBA Draft showcase game

HENDERSON, NEV. — Rarely does a highly anticipated matchup of top basketball prospects truly live up to the hype and the expectations. It’s even more rare and perhaps unprecedented for an exhibition game to draw hundreds of NBA front office personnel in early October. 

Last night here in this suburb of Las Vegas, the basketball world, including those watching on TV, witnessed a friendly matchup that previewed the NBA’s future. In particular, the showdown between Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson — the projected top two picks in the 2023 NBA draft — turned into a game that will be talked about for years to come.

Leading into the game between Metropolitans 92 from France and the host team, G League Ignite, I had plenty of time to imagine best- and worst-case scenarios as I traveled back from Paris with layovers in New York and Miami.

Would Wembanyama stay out of foul trouble? How would Scoot shoot the ball? Would Metropolitans 92 be jet-lagged? Would the Ignite be sloppy in their 2022-23 debut due to lack of practice time?

Even my most optimistic hopes couldn’t have prepared me for what I saw last night.

Here’s my report from the first of two matchups this week, including what I heard from NBA scouts and executives: