Everything seems disproportionate with Victor Wembanyama. His size, his stature, the fact that his club was invited in the middle of the Betclic Elite season so that the United States could observe him in Las Vegas…
Despite all the pressure and the enormous attention directed at him, and the very particular context of these two matches against the G-League Ignite, where everything was done to highlight him, the young Frenchman showed why nothing is normal. with him. Even if we obviously have to be very careful, we have never seen a player of this size (2m21 for 2m44 wingspan) move and dribble with so much ease. As LeBron James noted.
“In recent years, we’ve all been introduced to us as ‘unicorns’, but he’s more of an alien” dropped the “King”. “Nobody, me first, has ever seen someone as tall as him, be so fluid and graceful when he is on the ground… Whatever his height, 2m15, 2m20, 2m25… He has this ability to dribble, to take step-back shots, to shoot 3-pointers in catch-and-shoot, to counter… It is clear that this is a generational talent. »
“He’s like those players you can generate in NBA 2K, with point guards who want to be 2m13. It looks like Cheat Code”
An observation shared by Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.
“That mix of talent and qualities, it puts a smile on your face if you play basketball because the evolution of the game has gone so far … The league will be in real trouble when he comes. I want to see how it will go” explains the Nets wingerwhile the leader of the Warriors adds: “He’s like those players you can generate in NBA 2K, with point guards who want to be 2m13. It looks like “Cheat Code”. »
Member of the G-League Ignite, Shareef O’Neal explains that he asked his father for advice before facing Victor Wembanyama, but the “Shaq” did not really have any tips to give him as the French interior is unique.
“He told me that the tallest person he had played against was either Manute Bol (2m31) or Yao Ming (2m29). I don’t think there has ever been a player like him. There aren’t many players who can move that way with that size. My dad would just tell me, ‘You have to be aggressive. He’s a little taller than me, just try to get in there and face him. I did my best. That’s the only thing he said to me. He said he had never played against someone who could shoot like that and had such qualities with that size, so he couldn’t really help me. »
“The thing is…I haven’t done anything yet. I haven’t played in an NBA game yet. I was not drafted, so I have to stay focused to achieve my goals”
Faced with this rain of compliments, and the “hype” that this American tour has considerably increased, Victor Wembanyama wants to stay down to earth. He had a lot of hope, but he hasn’t proven anything yet.
“Obviously it’s an honor to see such amazing people talking about me like that, but that doesn’t change anything. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool. But not anymore. I have to try to stay focused. The fact is… I haven’t done anything yet. I haven’t played in an NBA game yet. I was not drafted, so I have to stay focused to achieve my goals. Because it’s going to be difficult to improve every day and stay consistent. »
Victor Wembanyama admits all the same that his American tour could hardly have gone better.
“My impression of the American game? It was really great. I find it hard to see how it could have gone better. Maybe if we had won [mardi]. But it was an amazing experience, truly once in a lifetime. I want to thank all the organizations that made it possible for us to come here. »
