After eight months without playing due to a venous thrombosis in a shoulder, Victor Wembanyama did not miss his reunion with the NBA. The number 1 of the San Antonio Spurs has had a thunderous start to the season with his team and multiplies the performances on the floors of the North American basketball championship. Performances which escaped no one, especially not his compatriot Nicolas Batum.
“He has reached another milestone, like every year for four or five years,” smiled the double Olympic vice-champion with the Blues (in 2021 and 2024), interviewed in the locker room of the Los Angeles Clippers before the defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder (126-107) by AFP.
Batum, 36, who won the silver medal with Wembanyama at the Paris Games last year, however, did not miss the ordinary performance on Monday in Phoenix of his young compatriot, hampered by a very tight “two-handed hold” by the Suns in defense.
“It’s good for him, there are steps that he must learn, he will face special game plans, he must take a new course, be careful, regain patience, reinvent himself in quotes. (…) He is a player who is still young in his apprenticeship, even if he is already very strong, so it is a good start to the season, but it is up to him to continue to be even stronger. »
“The superstars find a way to get around that, otherwise they wouldn’t exist,” says the former Portland, Charlotte and Philadelphia player, for whom “Wemby” is already part of the Top 5 players in the North American basketball league.
“He is number 1 in defense and among the Top 10 offensively”
“He is number 1 in defense and among the Top 10 offensively, so that necessarily puts him in the Top 5,” he believes.
For Batum, in his 18th NBA season, the Spurs collective “must also adapt” to the defenses opposing Wembanyama. “They are on the right path. I think they are similar to Oklahoma City three years ago,” he adds, referring to the champion franchise in the spring with a fairly young squad.
The Thunder, Batum faced him Tuesday night with the Clippers. Holder in the absence of the injured Kawhi Leonard, the Frenchman rubbed shoulders with Chet Holmgren (2.16 m) in defense, was very available without really finding the target (3 points, 3 assists).
With nearly 18 minutes on the floor, he obtained playing time at his high average level.
“I don’t worry about it at all anymore. We are a more complete and much denser team. My playing time will depend on the evenings, the opponents, the rotations. It’s something we put in place with coach Tyronn Lue,” explained Batum, who also says he no longer pays attention to his individual statistics.
