By Adiel Kalonji | NBA Editor
While he dazzles all observers with his first NBA pre-season matches, Victor Wembanyama has more eyes than ever focused on him. Comfortable with his legendary coach Gregg Popovich, the Frenchman also wanted to send him a specific message at the end of the last meeting he played. Surely a good omen!
Like Reggie Miller, stunned by the comments of the last Spurs match, Victor Wembanyama is on the verge of unanimous approval in the United States. Already particularly comfortable during this pre-season, the former Boulogne-Levallois superstar showed a glimpse of frightening potential, confirming all the good things the scouts thought of him. But let’s make no mistake: the objective is collective, in order to bring Spurs back to the forefront.
Following a very complicated season for the Texans, Gregg Popovich was not spared his share of criticism, even being considered a relic of the past for the most critical among us. But the present is Wembanyama, and he can’t wait to prove to the world that Popovich can rise from the ashes thanks in part to him.
Gregg Popovich, a trustworthy coach for Wemby
What could be better for a first draft choice than to come across a coach like Popovich? Their relationship seems to be going well at the moment if Wemby’s comments at a recent press conference are to be believed:
I know that every time he talks to me, I can trust him. I think he’s trying not to dwell on me too much, but I told him I can take a lot. I want to get as much advice as possible. He asked me how I imagined myself in a match and I told him that I wanted to play hard, with energy, that the rest will come to me naturally. And he agreed with me.
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The chemistry is present between the two men, and this is what a large number of observers and fans imagined, after a performance in Summer League deemed below expectations by some particularly demanding critics. The one that LeBron James renamed the “Alien” is turning over some jackets in pre-season.
First of all, the new French star competed against Chet Holmgren and the Thunder. Moreover, these two very promising players gave us a clue as to what could become the rivalry to follow over the coming years. Indeed, Wemby wanted to show his fangs by scoring 20 points in 19 minutes of play in the first match of the pre-season despite a defeat (120-121).
Is Chet Holmgren vs Victor Wembanyama is going to be a generational rivalry pic.twitter.com/dawYOvNeCd
— ₅ (@RunWithFox) October 10, 2023
For his second game, he led his team to victory by scoring 23 points against Miami. And as if stringing together offensive actions straight out of a video game wasn’t enough, Victor was also very impressive defensively during these two meetings.
There is no possible doubt: Victor Wembanyama and Gregg Popovich already adore each other, and a mutual respect seems to emerge from their relationship. The Frenchie therefore naturally praised his new coach at a press conference, who has produced convincing performances so far at the start of the pre-season. The lights are green in Texas, just one thing to add: as long as it lasts!
2023-10-17 19:50:00
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