Just putting this out there .sorry if there already a Wenyen Gabriel thread. It's worth noting to me, how athletic and fluid-moving Gabriel is at his size. Also how well he uses those gifts on defense.
Wenyen Gabriel (born March 26, 1997) is a South Sudanese-American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. Gabriel was a 5-star prospect who in 2016 was ranked number 14 on ESPN's Top 10. Gabriel attended Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham, Massachusetts since 2014.[1] Prior to that, he played at Trinity High School in Manchester, New Hampshire for three years.[2] As a senior in 2015-16, he averaged 22.0 points per game, 14.0 rebounds per game, 7.0 blocks per game and 6.3 assists per game. In October 2015, he announced his decision to enroll at the University of Kentucky. Maryland, Duke, UConn and Providence were other schools on his shortlist.[3] He played 19:17 minutes in the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit, scoring two points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out two assists.[4] He also played in the 2016 Jordan Brand Classic. Gabriel was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked #14 in the Class of 2016 by ESPN He made his debut for the UK Wildcats in an exhibition game on 31 October 2016 against Clarion University, tallying nine points, two rebounds and one assist in 17 minutes coming off the bench.[5] As a freshman, he played in 38 games, including 23 starts, averaging 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17.8 minutes.[6] During his sophomore year, Gabriel became more of a key figure for Kentucky's success that season, tallying 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 37 games. He led UK with 40 blocked shots.[7] Professional career[edit] Sacramento Kings (2018–2020)[edit] 2018–2019 season[edit] Gabriel declared for the 2018 NBA draft,[8] but went undrafted.[9] He joined the Sacramento Kings for the 2018 NBA Summer League.[10] On 31 July 2018, he signed a two-way contract with the Kings.[11] However, he did not appear in a game during that season. 2019–2020 season[edit] Just prior to the start of the 2019–20 season, the Kings converted Gabriel’s contract to a standard deal.[12] He had a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Stockton Kings on December 20, 2019, in a win over the Delaware Blue Coats.[13] On January 11, 2020, Gabriel had 37 points, 11 rebounds and three assists for Stockton in its 163-143 win over the Iowa Wolves.[14] Portland Trail Blazers (2020–present)[edit] On January 20, 2020, Gabriel was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers along with Trevor Ariza and Caleb Swanigan in exchange for Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and two future second round picks.[15] He made his debut for the Trail Blazers on January 31, going 0-for-3 from the field with one rebound, one assist and a block in 13 minutes as the Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 127-119.[16] Personal life[edit] Gabriel was born in Khartoum, Sudan, on 26 March 1997.[17] Because his sister – born a year earlier – had died in infancy, Gabriel was given the name "Wenyen", which means "wipe your tears" in his native Dinka language.[17] Two weeks after he was born, Gabriel's mother, Rebecca Gak, moved with him and his three siblings to Cairo, Egypt to escape the violence of the Second Sudanese Civil War.[17] While Gabriel's mother worked to earn enough money to move his father, Makuac, to Cairo, his seven-year-old brother, Komot, became Gabriel's primary care giver.[17][18] Two years after moving to Egypt, the United Nations granted an appeal to move the refugee family to Manchester, New Hampshire, an American city with a large South Sudanese population.[17] Gabriel received a US passport in 2015[19] and represented the USA Basketball Junior National Select Team at the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit. He considers South Sudan his rightful home country.[20]
Gabriel was born in Khartoum, Sudan, on 26 March 1997.[17] Because his sister – born a year earlier – had died in infancy, Gabriel was given the name "Wenyen", which means "wipe your tears" in his native Dinka language.[17]
Would be a good move to come out with as much energy as possible seeing as they start with Davis. Start working Collins into playing a role where he is only playing when needed and the rest of the series run a 4 man big rotation where we start with Gabriel and keep him in until (a) he gets 3 fouls (b) Davis exits the game If (going to be more like “when” more often than not) Wenyen gets 3 fouls early, insert Whiteside. And until fully healthy, Zach can be in the Wenyen role for the rest of the series. I don’t mind excessive fouls on Davis if they aren’t ticky tacky, I hope Davis feels those bigs. Davis is going to wear down if we continue to have 4 bigs available every game. I feel like the best chance to win is to start Wenyen anyway and make Davis work on offense, and then start Zach again if we play Houston/OKC. Important for Zach to get valuable playoff minutes even if he’s 85-90%. I would say give Gabriel an extension where he makes the rest of what a 30th pick rookie salary would be (around $1.2-1.5 for three more years? With a team option in year three).
Wenyen has earned a role in the rotation even when Zach returns. His energy, defensive abilities, and a nice touch from 3 make him a must going forward. Great smile too.
Zach needs to go to the bench when he returns plain and simple. Use your fouls your so addicted to from there
They have almost identical measurements but I don’t think he’s ever gonna be a 20ppg guy like Siakam, even though he was essentially one in the g league. I do think he’ll be a better version of Aminu. I think he’s a better shooter and provides the same versatile inside/out defense. He’s a keeper for sure, and honestly should probably keep starting even if/when Collins returns. He’s played AD twice now and bothered him both times.
I see the excitement for Wenyen continually growing and recall similar accolades for Skal Labiserie. So the question is Skal or Gabriel?
Interesting question. Skal is only slightly taller, but is around 30lb heavier (much of it muscle) and IIRC has a bigger wingspan. Just to the eye test, Gabriel is faster. The big thing to me is that there were questions about Skal's attitude going all the way back to college, while Gabriel seems to be a kid who plays with tremendous heart.
And Blast Off goes the expectations meter! He gave em 5 fouls in about 13 mins in a game the Blazers won. He didn’t completely stink up the place. He brought some energy. But please.
blocked the shot in a 2 on 1 break and the blazers out scored their opponents by 12 points in the 13 minutes he was on the floor. outside of the defensive energy he brought he also ran the floor for a fast break dunk and assisted on three of his teammates' shots in those 13 minutes. might meet the requirements for more than "didn't stink up the place".
Of course what you say is true. Personally, I am applauding him for stepping up when the team really needed him - not because I think he is a future all-star. If I wanted to be testy, I would also point out that he demonstrates that heart and hustle don't use "youth" as an excuse.
Skal can defend C and PF Gabriel can defend PF and SF Judging from the small sample size I think Gabriel is more suited as a perimeter defender.......so I choose him.
Before each season, I pick my favorite Blazer. Contrary to other posters going for the glory starters, my favorite is always one of the team scrubs. TraderBoob used to argue with me when I would defend my favorite underdog all season. Gabriel caught my eye in his first Blazer game. He's my tentative choice for next season, but I'll need to see the new roster.
This is why a GM should uproot the roster each season like Bob Whitsitt did. There will be mistakes, but also golden nuggets found through random luck. Olshey quickly patched the loss of Aldridge with nonstars Aminu, Harkless, Ed Davis, and Vonleh, then slept for years in complacency and self-satisfaction. After Paul Allen's death, Olshey awoke and made roster changes in the last 12 months. We are now like other teams, finding unexpected nuggets like Ariza and Anthony. You can't plan everything a season in advance through the draft. You also have to throw things at the wall and see what sticks, through constant change for change's sake.
