Victor Wembanyama’s Olympic debut for France: What players and coaches thought

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LILLE, France — Victor Wembanyama was nervous.

The 20-year-old phenom, who has spent his entire rookie season in the NBA proving that he’s worth every penny of his outsized popularity and who has the advantages of his home country behind him in his Olympic debut, was tense in the days leading up to Saturday’s debut against Brazil.

Although he didn’t show it when the match finally started.

The score of Wembanyama’s first game on this special stage reveals nothing of his fear, as he finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three steals in France’s 78-66 win at Pierre Mauroy Stadium. The same goes for his highlights, including this left-footed dunk that had his teammate, Nicolas Batum, uttering, “What the f—?” as he watched from beneath the rim.

But as his coach, Vincent Collet, said afterwards, Wembanyama is hardly immune to the pressure that has been put on him for so many years. The remarkable thing, which was visible to the world in his first official match on this special stage, is that he keeps pushing through when it is time to perform.

“I think for the first time in his career he was a little bit stressed,” Collet said afterwards. “This week, I would say three days before the game, I felt he was a little bit stressed. So we talked to each other and to everyone around us, (his) teammates, (the) rest of the staff, and we tried to help him. And I think he’s so mature, day by day he got better at that and he just wanted to start.

“He was a little nervous. In France, everyone is waiting for him, like — I don’t know what word to use, but everyone is waiting for him. You have people who know basketball, and they understand that he’s only 20 years old. But people who love sports, but (who) don’t know basketball, think that Victor is already Michael Jordan. (But) take your time. Take your time.”

An American reporter, clearly joking, noted that Wembanyama was already not far behind MJ.

“Ah, he’s not far…” Collet said with a smile.

Hyperbole aside, Wembanyama’s night was a fascinating piece of basketball theater. Despite his age, he’s the clear alpha male and the face of the future for this French team that features veterans like Batum, Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier, the 31-year-old veteran who last played for the Detroit Pistons. Those three have been leading their national program for so many years. Wembanyama’s two-way brilliance, coupled with the physical prowess that Brazilian big man (and former NBA player) Bruno Caboclo called “inhuman,” already demands that the French find a way to maximize their young phenom as quickly as possible. Especially in light of Joel Embiid’s controversial decision to play for Team USA instead of joining forces with the French.

But as Collet made clear, it is a process — one that was a major topic of discussion among his teammates, coach, opponents and Wembanyama himself afterwards. Below is a collection of what they all saw on this night in Wemby history.

Nicolas Batum

It’s easy to play basketball with him. It’s easy. (It’s) the size first, (but) he knows how to play the game. I’ve played with so many great players in my career, but to play with a young guy like (him) with such a high IQ, it’s easy to play with him, around him, (to know) how to get him the ball. I mean, he’s so good. The defense gravitates to him so much, so you just try to get him in the right spots so we can play around him.

The two big guys inside (with Gobert, the Minnesota Timberwolves star and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year) is a great thing to play with on defense. I’ve never played with two guys like that before. So tonight I thought, let me guard the point guard. If you’re driving, good luck. (Laughs)

(Wembanyama) knows who he is. He knows what he has to do to be great. On a play, he said, “Okay, I’m going to set up a screen.” I said, “No, no, no, no. Stay down there and get the ball and make a play. Take us home. That’s who you are now.” He’s not afraid right now. He showed that in the first half.

Victor Wembanyama scored 19 points in his Olympic debut for France, with nine rebounds and four blocks. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Victor Wembanyama

It’s about taking everything I get and communicating a lot with my teammates. You know, it’s about sacrifice, I would say. We’re all here for a purpose. … We’re all willing to give up our spot to the next guy. So that’s what it’s about.

The guys here that have been playing together for a long time, I mean, I think Nic (Batum) and the coach know each other, first played together 20 years ago. So they know each other, and I like how they’ve tried to get me into the system.

For that reason, Collet made it clear that he wants Wembanyama to spend the majority of his time in the paint in these Games. Even with his developing outside skills — Wembanyama averaged 5.5 3-point attempts last season and shot 32.5 percent from beyond the arc — the French team believes he’s best used down low.

Vincent Collet

For Victor, the most important thing was to go inside where he knows he’s going to dominate every time. If he plays too much perimeter, he’s just like any other player. One night you make the shots, and the next night you don’t. And if you’re stressed, you’re more likely not to make them.

Even as a leader, he can’t win by himself. He needs teammates to help him, and that’s what they did. Batum, especially tonight, but also others, I think we can’t be good if we don’t find that chemistry, that’s for sure. Victor is our target on offense, but we have to find a way to get everyone involved.

Evan Fournier

I mean, we’re still trying to figure it out (with Wembanyama). Playing with Rudy (Gobert) and he has his challenges offensively, spacing-wise. Offensively, he can do so many things, (but) sometimes he struggles just to maintain his spacing. He’s always cutting and moving, because he sees opportunities. We’ve only been playing with Vic for three weeks, so we’re trying to get him closer to the basket, obviously, with good matchups. That’s been the key for us. We’re still trying to figure it out, and hopefully we can help him. … As far as getting him to play our kind of basketball, I think we’ve got to help him.

Bruno Caboclo

I think he didn’t miss in the second quarter and France trusted him. So they took advantage of that. In the second half, he didn’t score much, so the guys had to make plays. We tried to make a run to get the score down, but France played better. … I think they were trying to figure out how to play with him and Gobert together. He’s also getting into the rhythm of playing with these new guys for the national team. So I think it’s going to take time to figure out what everyone can do together, and I think they have a bright future. It’s just a matter of time (for Wembanyama). He’s just going to keep getting better. He’s very young and the sky’s the limit for him.

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(Top photo by Victor Wembanyama: Christina Pahnke – sampics / Getty Images)