A year after arriving in the NBA, a French rookie surprises opponents with his exceptional performance, surpassing the high expectations set for him.
The French man arrived in the NBA amid a storm of hype. But a year on, those who came up against him in Europe are surprised by how good he has becomeHe arrived in the United States to a maelstrom of hype, aided by eye-catching performances in a pair of showcase exhibition games against the G League Ignite in Las Vegas the previous October for Parisian club Metropolitans 92.
Jason Filippi, a Europe-based basketball scout, agrees. “My expectations were very high, but I didn’t expect him to be a dominant player consistently, night in and night out,” says Filippi. “His body has held up just fine. Even though he’s skinny, because of his length he doesn’t need to overpower people. He just shoots over them. On defense it’s the same thing. If you post him up, there’s nowhere to go because he’s so long.
“He seems more confident in his shooting,” says Nicola Alberani, the sporting director of French club SIG Strasbourg. “He’s quicker in taking his shot. He’s got a faster release and he makes quicker decisions. His game hasn’t changed much; it’s just faster.”Victor Wembanyama is the only rookie to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal in 50 years.
But if Wembanyama’s first season in the NBA has proven anything, it’s that he can’t win games on his own. The Spurs were able to select him for a reason – they had the worst record in the league last year, and this season hasn’t been much better, results-wise; they have inhabited the lower reaches of the Western Conference for much of the season and were eliminated from playoff contention some time ago.
French NBA Rookie Performance Expectations
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