Los Angeles (AFP) – A month after his debut in the NBA, French basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama played in all 15 games with the San Antonio Spurs: between highlights and heavy defeats, “Wemby” continues the frustrating discovery of his new world.
“I’m a rookie, I’m trying to learn,” recalled Victor Wembanyama in recent days, a 19-year-old phenomenon, with unique agility for his size (2.24 m), escorted by disproportionate expectations after having been drafted No.1 by the San Antonio Spurs in June.
For a beginner, Wembanyama presents flattering statistics, with an average of 18.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and especially 2.6 blocks, ranking him 3rd in the entire NBA for this category.
Author of spectacular actions in almost every meeting, the native of Chesnay, in the Paris region, was defeated in his first match against Dallas on October 25, but won in the second against Houston two days later. He then won twice in Phoenix at Kevin Durant, making an impression with 38 points, his record, on November 2.
The new French star of the NBA, Victor Wembanyama, during one of his first regular season matches with the Spurs, against the Houston Rockets, on October 27, 2023 in San Antonio © CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/Archives
Since then, the inexperienced Texans, the youngest squad in the NBA, have had a string of 10 defeats (12 in total for 3 successes), sometimes suffering corrections by offering a very low level of play, which earned them last place in the NBA rankings. Western Conference.
“The individual stats (of Wembanyama) are good but the percentage (43% for shots in the game, 27.5% from three points) is average, there is a lot of outside play, he doesn’t come enough to the interior, offensive rebound. He can make better choices”, judges ex-coach Jacques Monclar, consultant for beIN Sports, for AFP.
“He must stay on the fundamentals, the relevance, he must sort, he must wait, he must build. Developing while losing is not easy. He continued, without rest, perhaps that influences his choices.”
A San Antonio Spurs fan holds up a portrait of young French rookie Victor Wembanyama during an NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks, October 25, 2023 © CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/Archives
“Embarrassing”
To justify insufficient skill, his former coach at the Metropolitans 92, Vincent Collet, puts forward the lack of “easy baskets” offered by his teammates, who struggle to serve him under the circle.
“He has room for improvement in decision-making. When we take better shots, we have a better chance of making them. He also needs to progress in his relationship with others. Against Sacramento (defeat on November 17) , he takes 26 shots but doesn’t make any assists, for me it’s embarrassing”, added, during an intervention on beIN Sports, the technician, coach of the France team.
According to the NBA’s weekly analysis, Wembanyama was overtaken in the race for the title of rookie of the year by Oklahoma City interior Chet Holmgren (21), ex-rival of the Frenchman in international competitions young and rare player with a similar profile, immense (2.16 m) and agile.
Victor Wembanyama during a press conference on October 24, 2023 in San Antonio © CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/Archives
In San Antonio, where he is already number one in hearts, Wembanyama has quietly launched his new life. The Ile-de-France resident with a salary of around $12 million a year lives in a house where one of his parents is often. “He is very happy, he couldn’t have dreamed of better,” says those around him.
He is the only NBA player to appear at a press conference after every game, speaking impeccable English. Two snaps of his fingers resonate when the translation of a word, rarely, escapes him.
In high demand, the Spurs offered him a first match without media obligation at the start of the week, and ensured that the questions asked of his teammates did not only revolve around the phenomenon, which continues to fascinate the public.
Victor Wembanyama (C) high-fives his teammates as he enters the San Antonio court, before an NBA regular season game against the Houston Rockets, October 27, 2023 © Chandan Khanna / AFP
According to the American sports channel ESPN, a jersey worn for his NBA debut on October 25 was sold at auction by the company Sotheby’s for a record amount of 762,000 dollars (around 700,000 euros).
“Retreat”
On the floor, his warm-up routine also became an attraction. In San Francisco, for his last pre-season match, he managed to divert the attention usually focused on local star Stephen Curry.
While he dreamed of playing in the play-offs at the end of the season, the debut of the Spurs, already last in their conference last season, brought “Wemby” back to earth.
“The way I like to play is when you win,” he explains. “(Loses) are all I know for the moment in the NBA. But before being drafted, I knew that there would be difficulties, the important thing is how to approach them. I don’t yet have the hindsight to draw conclusions, but for the moment it’s okay, we’re keeping our heads fresh.”
Victor Wembanyama after scoring a dunk during the NBA game against the LA Clippers, on November 2, 2023 in San Antonio © Ronald Cortes / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Patience is required for the young champion, who has at least 67 matches left this season, and probably many years, to reach the hoped-for heights.
© 2023 AFP
2023-11-23 15:05:38
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