As always during a Golden State home game, the show begins a good hour before the game during warm-ups. Journalists, cameras and fans all flock towards Stephen Curry to see the now legendary “shootaround” of the double MVP.
That night, when he emerged from the tunnel to begin his routine, flanked by Warriors assistant Bruce Fraser, the spotlight was on the other side of the court, however, fixed on Victor Wembanyama.
In eleven seasons on site at Oracle Arena and Chase Center, this is the first time we’ve seen Stephen Curry steal the spotlight. For around twenty minutes, the 19-year-old Frenchman carried out a series of shots and exercises showing the full extent of his offensive range. Mid-range shots, right and left hand hook shots, 3-point shots and sequences of dribbles and long shots.
It was during this last exercise that the fans present understood that they were witnessing something unique. The combination of size, scope, mobility and skill left everyone speechless.
“It’s even bigger in real life!” »
“Everyone knows he has enormous talent,” said Steve Kerr before the meeting. “It’s going to be fun for us to play against him tonight but also for our fans to see him in person for the first time. »
“You have to rub your eyes, you have the impression of seeing a player that you can create in video games,” said James, a Warriors supporter who came to the match with his son, wearing a Stephen Curry jersey, to see the Frenchman. “It’s even bigger in real life!” »
It didn’t take long for “Wemby” to put his mark on the match. In the space of 90 seconds, the first choice of the Draft followed a crossover with a mid-range shot above Andrew Wiggins, before punishing Klay Thompson in the low post.
However, the two Warriors were not at the end of their troubles. Open to 3-points, the Canadian took his shot as he does in every match, before seeing the shadow of Victor Wembanyama appear to counter him. The finality was the same when the Golden State winger tried to overtake the Frenchman before finishing with a backward shot into the racket. Klay Thompson suffered the same fate, before seeing “Wemby” crush a dunk in transition.
Spurs’ potential “very promising”
After seven minutes on the floor in the first quarter, Victor Wembanyama had 12 points and 3 blocks. He will finish the game with 19 points and 5 blocks in 21 minutes before watching the last 18 minutes on the bench.
In his wake, the Spurs gained momentum during the preseason, becoming more and more comfortable with their new starting five. They finished the match with 36 assists and a strong defensive performance. After the meeting, “Wemby” said he was encouraged by the evolution of his team from the first preseason game to the last in San Francisco.
“Since we had trained a lot before the opening of the training camp, I already knew that we could be competitive but now I am certain of it. We will be competitive from the start of the season,” he confirms. “When we see our squad and the combinations we can deploy. We have so much size, we are so versatile. In many matches, our results are over three quarters since many players were put on the bench in the fourth, but we saw real collective performances. It’s very promising. »
Gregg Popovich compares the arrival of Victor Wembanyama to that of LeBron James
Also on an individual level, Victor Wembanyama also said he was satisfied, and he already sees areas for progress.
“Even before the preseason, during our training in San Antonio for a month, I could feel right away that I was going to have an impact on the game, that I was going to be able to help the team in many areas, and that I ‘was willing to make sacrifices for the good of the collective,’ he explains. “After the pre-season, I can say that it was a good experience to realize my areas of improvement before starting the season. »
The contrast between the serenity exuded by the Spurs number 1 and the circus that exists around him explains why Gregg Popovich is not worried about his new protégé. Not hesitating to compare his situation to that of LeBron James, now the oldest active player, when he arrived in the league.
“The hype around Victor has been there for a long time, it’s like when LeBron arrived in the NBA. It’s comparable, I think. And obviously, at the beginning it was something that worried me and one of my priorities was to figure out how to protect him from all that, how to approach it with him and tell him to be careful of this or that,” concedes the Spurs coach. “Very quickly, when I gave him my beautiful speeches, he looked at me as if saying: ‘But why is he telling me all that?’ He already knows how to manage the circus that exists around him because he has experience. He has a strong personality, he has a sense of humor. He is intelligent. He knows how to handle all this attention. So, it’s not something that worries me anymore. »
We wish him the same trajectory as that of LeBron James.
Comments collected in San Francisco.
