At 20 years old, Victor Wembanyama is being counted on to be the best player on a France team that has realistic expectations to win a gold medal. It’s a heavy burden for a guy with one season of NBA experience, but if Wembanyama’s Olympic debut is any indication, he’s more than up for the challenge.
In France’s 78-66 win over Brazil on Saturday, Wembanyama stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals, three blocks and two assists. There were stretches where he was electrifying, like when France found itself down 12 four minutes into the second quarter and Wembanyama proceeded to score or assist on six of the final eight buckets of the half as France went into the locker room with a one-point lead.
Even having watched Wembanyama during his sensational rookie season in San Antonio, in which he was probably the best defender in the league and a borderline All-NBA player over the second half, it’s still a shock to the basketball system to watch him do some of the things he does at his size.
Like this left-hand dunk from outside the restricted area.
Look at the vertical separation he creates against Gui Santos, who is 6-foot-6, on this jumper.
The full range of Wembanyama’s highlights, from his smooth jumpers and footwork post moves to the length and ferocity of his finishes, offer a glimpse into a level of domination that actually exceeded the numbers Wemby inked into stat sheet.
Again, these numbers, splendid as they are, don’t tell the full story of Wemby’s impact on this game. He “only” had three blocks, for instance, but the degree to which Wemby altered Brazil’s shot chart with his looming paint presence was exponential. These are professional basketball players terrified to shoot.
It’s also not just Wemby’s extraordinary physical gifts and the plays they allow him to make that make him so special; it’s his feel for the ebbs and flows of a game. When he needs to force his own action. When he needs to involve others. It’s something you can’t really teach, but rather, something that usually has…
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