Tense. That's an understatement to describe the Bercy crowd with 11 seconds left in this semi-final between France and Germany. Victor Wembanyama just missed a free throw that could have given his team a two-possession lead.
Despite his miss, no emotion shows on his face. The French Alien has already forgotten his first attempt. He resumes his routine, briefly shrugs his shoulders, spins the ball and converts the second throw, giving the Blues a three-point lead (71-68). The matter is almost settled.
This last point allowed him to reach 11 points in the heart of an evening that was still very difficult for him in terms of shooting. Victor is also discovering FIBA basketball at a very high level. Last year, he played in the French championship, it's not quite the same. And clearly, it's a very interesting learning experience for him. He's adapting “, remarks Vincent Collet after the meeting.
Confidence despite everything
Adapting to even rougher defenses and a FIBA game where spaces are harder to find than in the NBA. Against Germany, he clearly watered down 3-pointers, sometimes on well-covered attempts.
He sometimes did well to insist, like his only three-pointer converted with eight minutes left. Isaïa Cordinier had just grabbed the offensive rebound to give him a second chance after his initial miss on the same possession. His second shot reeked of confidence.
” Right now, he's been a little shirked by success. He had a lot of good shots tonight. Frankly, he had some 3-pointers that were interesting, that were open. “, notes his coach.
Already against Canada, Victor Wembanyama had suffered with a small outing at 7 points (2/10 on shots), compensated by 12 rebounds and 5 assists. In the semi-final, the Spurs player reached 11 points scored, but for 17 shots taken (4/17 including 1/8 from afar).
Saving the best for last?
This did not prevent him from being mobilized for 27, then 32 minutes as the giant, in addition to being an excellent passer, is an essential element in ensuring the protection of the circle. And picking up rebounds: with 10 catches per match, he is second in the category in this tournament and best blocker (2).
” Over the last two games, he has been very valuable on the defensive aspects, on the rebounds. We don't always realize how he masks the landscape. There were several small openings where he found himself one against two. And despite everything, he handles these situations very well. He is probably one of the only players who can do it, even if Rudy (Gobert) is perhaps the second “, analyzes Vincent Collet.
Since the start of the Olympics, Victor Wembanyama has averaged just under 14 points on just 37.5% shooting (including 27% on 3-pointers and 65% on free throws). But apart from his opening match against Brazil, he has rarely given the impression of taking charge of the match.
” But there is still one match left “, recalls Vincent Collet: “And this type of player always has a great match in the tournament. Since there is only one left, too bad, it's for Saturday (laughs) » The Americans are warned.
Photo FIBA.com
