Welcome to Wembanyama Wednesdays, our new recurring weekly post that will provide you with everything you need to know about Victor Wembanyama, the once-in-a-generation talent coming to an NBA team soon.
Scouts have seen Victor Wembanyama dominate against the G League Ignite. They have watched him become the best player in the French League.
His next evaluation, however, will come when he suits up for France’s national team during the upcoming FIBA window. It will give NBA teams even further context to the ways that Wembanyama can impact the game regardless of the stage.
This will be the first time Wembanyama represents France’s senior squad.
Victor Wembanyama is included in the French NT roster for the upcoming FIBA window 🙌
🇫🇷 France will face Lithuania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. pic.twitter.com/0REiLX7LQl
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) November 8, 2022
Here is what Wembanyama said about playing for his national team:
“I have already played in the French youth team (European silver medalist in the U16s and world silver medalist in the U19s) And that always gives me extra motivation. It is very important for me. I also find it in my teammates, in my opponents: fighting for your country is totally different, it gives you greater energy.”
Also on the roster are Ismael Kamagate (a big man who was selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft) and Axel Toupane (who has played in the NBA for the Nuggets, Bucks, and Pelicans).
Terry Tarpey and Andrew Albicy, who played for France when the squad won silver during the 2022 Eurobasket tournament, are on the squad as well.
The team is coached by Vincent Collet, who also coaches Wembanyama for Metropolitans 92. The big man said he expects to play a defensive-first role during his first appearance for France’s senior national team.
Collet, however, insisted that Wembanyama will be one of the team leaders and that they are counting on him to get the two wins during the international competition.
Wembanyama will likely play alongside Rudy Gobert for France when the Olympics come to Paris in 2024. The French national team received the silver medal competition at the Olympics in Tokyo, and they earned silver in Eurobasket as well.
But with the addition of Wembanyama, and potentially Joel Embiid, a new powerhouse could potentially emerge for the foreseeable future.
GAME LOG / SCHEDULE
Nov. 4, 2:00 PM ET (vs. CSP Limoges)
33 pts (10-17 FG, 3-8 3P, 10-12 FT), 12 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk, 34 min
UPCOMING GAMES (French National Team)
Nov. 11, 12:30 PM ET (vs. Lithuania, FIBA)
Nov. 14, 2:30 PM ET (vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, FIBA)
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
With an 8-foot wingspan, we all know the defensive upside is unfathomable for Wembanyama.
But perhaps the most exciting aspect of his game is his fluidity. It is rare to find someone with his level of on-ball creation at his age, and the basketball world has literally never seen it from a player his size — regardless of age.
He showed as much during his most recent game against CSP Limoges. The dude looked like a 7-foot-5 version of James Harden with his ball-handle and stepback 3-pointer on this possession:
Victor Wembanyama's handle 🤯 pic.twitter.com/UCCGSeyzpO
— NBA (@NBA) November 4, 2022
O.K.A.Y. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/Tzh2ZtHvoF
— NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) November 4, 2022
😭😭😭 mais qu’est-ce qu’il vient de faire Dirk Wembanyama là ?? pic.twitter.com/uLAEz5l7Gp
— Arthur TrashTalk (@ArthurJBaudin) November 4, 2022
BRICK FOR VIC
Odds of landing a top 3 pick (via ESPN’s BPI)
“Each day, the season is simulated 10,000 times, according to BPI and the remaining schedule for each team.”
Detroit Pistons – 39.5%
Houston Rockets – 38.7%
Orlando Magic – 37.2%
Oklahoma City Thunder – 34.9%
San Antonio Spurs – 30.4%
New Orleans Pelicans (via LAL) – 19.3%
Charlotte Hornets -16.0%
Indiana Pacers – 15.5%
Sacramento Kings – 12.6%
Washington Wizards – 12.0%
New York Knicks – 11.4%
RECOMMENDED READING
2023 NBA draft stock watch: Wembanyama’s development (Jonathan Givony, ESPN):
“Towering over opponents, we’ve seen Wembanyama look more assertive, utilizing his size and physicality operating with his back to the basket, where he shows an extremely high skill level and is big enough to simply shoot over virtually any defender with unstoppable turnaround jumpers. While Wembanyama’s perimeter shooting, fluidity pushing off the defensive glass and handling in pick-and-roll and isolation situations generate some of his most notable highlights, the footwork, fluidity, dexterity and touch he shows in the post also is encouraging considering his propensity to shy away from contact in the past.”
Victor Wembanyama: Early-Season Scouting Report (Adam Spinella, The Box And One):
“With his size and movement ability, Wembanyama’s defensive ceiling has always been incredibly high. What we’ve seen over the last few months is the major development of Wembanyama’s offensive game as a primary option, shooter from distance and polished scorer across many levels.”
Victor Wembayama’s new one-legged, running three will wreck the NBA (Ricky O’Donnell, SB Nation)
“Wemby is doing stuff no one has ever seen before, and that continued in his game against Limoges on Friday. In the third quarter, Wembanyama authored one of his best highlights yet. With the ball out on the perimeter and the shot clock running down, Wemby sized up his man with a few effortless between-the-legs dribbles, and then launched a one-legged runner from three-point range that swished through the net.”
Few know what Victor Wembanyama is facing as projected No. 1 NBA draft pick; Greg Oden does (Dana Hunsinger Benbow, Indianapolis Star)
“Oden feels for him. Oden knows what that is like, to have the weight of the basketball world on your shoulders when you’re 18 or 19 years old. And he has advice for Wembanyama. ‘Still try to be a kid in some way,’ Oden said. ‘That’s the only advice I would give him because it’s maturing you a lot quicker than you think and now you don’t want to do kid things because everybody knows who you are and you feel like you’ve got to be more mature.'”
How Many Wins Is Too Many to Stay in the NBA Tank Race? (Zach Kram, The Ringer)
“So how many wins does a team need to capitalize on those lottery odds? To find out, we built a model based on the final standings from every 82-game season since 2004-05 (when the league expanded to 30 teams). This model predicts the possible pre-lottery positions that a team might have, which then allows us to predict the no. 1 pick odds at every win total. The model shows there’s very little difference in no. 1 pick equity below 25 wins.”
