A great first quarter, and then the desert until the last moments of this completely crazy France – Japan. Like the Blues, Victor Wembanyama alternated between very good and very bad, but in the end, the victory was there, and the Spurs pivot signed a full performance: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 interceptions and 2 blocks. At 6 out of 13 on shots, the Frenchman became the youngest player in Olympic history to compile at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a game. After two games, he is the best interceptor and blocker in the competition.
“He showed the maturity of a champion and the mentality of a champion” Vincent Collet emphasizes. “We need him. Our team lacks creativity.” Creation. This is one of the major shortcomings of this French Team. The leaders are unable to serve their interiors, and it is “Wemby” who takes care of it. It is paradoxical but the greatest player of these Olympics has the best hands and the best vision of the game. Conversely, when his teammates managed to find him, and to leave him a quarter of the field, Wembanyama never managed to make the difference, very hampered by the aggressiveness of the Japanese interiors.
A counter and the 3-pointer that hurt in overtime
But Wembanyama didn't get frustrated or angry, and it was he, in overtime, who would show the way. There was this counter on the unstoppable Yuki Kawamura at +3 (87-84), and on the following attack, the Frenchman took a 3-pointer that he missed. But Rudy Gobert was there to give him the ball back, and without asking any questions, Wembanyama shot another 3-pointer, and he made it! He exulted because it gave the Blues a six-point lead with three minutes to go (90-84).
Beyond the victory, the Rookie Of The Year remembers that France was able to find the resources to carry out the perfect hold-up. “These are efforts that we will need, especially in the big matches” he answers on France Televisions. “But we weren't supposed to need it today… We're supposed to kill the game before. It's good that we're experiencing this kind of thing in the group stage. It proves that we have guts and that we have what it takes to go further.”
