Stephen Brun, RMC Sport's basketball consultant, analyzes Victor Wembanyama's historic match. The 20-year-old French giant scored 50 points during San Antonio's victory against Washington on the night of Wednesday to Thursday in the NBA (139-130). An XXL performance which calls for others for our orange ball specialist.
Stephen Brun, what do you think of the 50 points scored by Victor Wembanyama during San Antonio's victory against Washington, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday in the NBA (139-130)?
“When you have a huge 3-point skill, it makes the task easier. At 8/16, you can make a huge splash. We were expecting the big performance at the start of the season from Wemby in scoring. He was a little in distress at level of long-distance skill, but he continues to take a lot of 3-point shots We might have doubted this tactic at the beginning, and finally, we realize that Gregg Popovich (his coach) is right once again. , since he said that it was out of the question to stop, that it was part of the process and that he wanted Victor Wembanyama to be this type of player. We see that it is not a one shot. , because he made 20 3-pointers in his three games. It's a performance that only Steph Curry, Klay Thompson or the greatest shooters in history are capable of.
These 50 points validate his desire to shoot from long distance, while some believe that he would be more effective near the rim…
“He said himself that he took better shots. Against Washington, there are a lot of shots where he is alone because it's complicated to defend on a 2.24m guy who is often wide. But you have to put them in, the shift is there. It's true that it raises eyebrows when he's at 1/8 at 3 points, at 40% on shots, but Victor is not Shaquille. O'Neal. He's not the same physique. You can't ask him to beat everyone. He gets pushed around because the teams put smaller guys in front of him to challenge him and will unbalance him. hip. So he has to have this versatility in his game. If he was 150kg, at 2.24m, we would only ask him to destroy people, like 'Shaq' did for ten years. , that's not the case. He's a special player, who is unique. I think the process is good and he responded to the criticism of his 3-point skill. In fact, he has a real one. quality of shot.”
“David Robinson’s 71 points seem possible to me”
Are you surprised to see him reach such a high point total early in his second NBA season?
“No, I'm not surprised. He had already scored 40 points against the Knicks last season. The game ended at 139-130, so to get to that level, you need guys who put up points. C It's today's NBA, I'm not surprised Giannis (Antetokounmpo) scored 59 points in the same evening (during Milwaukee-Detroit). or 160 50-point performances in NBA history, so that still puts him in a somewhat restricted caste. But Victor is still young. in the NBA universe It's a huge 50-point game, but in ten to fifteen years, maybe it will be a small game for Victor Wembanyama…”
Can he reach the legendary record of 100 points established in 1962 by Wilt Chamberlain during a game between Philadelphia and New York?
“Victor scored 50 points, that's only half eh (smile). He only went half way to aim for this record. The 100 points, I find it hard to believe… The 71 points by David Robinson (Spurs record), it seems possible to me And I think that the 55 points of Tony Parker (who established the French record in 2008 during a San Antonio-Minnesota), will quickly fall with the number. of matches that there are in the NBA, it will go higher. There are evenings where, if everything goes well, Victor will have skill at 3 points, he will go to the throw line and he will make shots. points in the racket, it was her first big performance, but she's going to call for more.”
“We are only at the beginning of the Wembanyama era”
In which areas can it progress to achieve even higher performance?
“Already, play more. There is definitely an evening when the match will be close until the end and he will play 38 or 39 minutes. Obviously, that will give him additional opportunities. He could also cause more shots with his size. His status will evolve too, maybe he will have a few more star whistles, it's already starting (smile). And then, on an evening when he has everything going for him, he will undoubtedly take more rebounds. He still has room for improvement in reading the game and on lost balls.”
“We're only at the beginning of the Wembanyama era. It's crazy to say that. People don't realize because we've done a lot about him. We talk about him like an alien or of a phenomenon, some come to believe that it is normal to put 50 points No, it is not normal Especially when you are 20 years old And then the start was complicated after a summer where it. didn't really cut it. The Olympics took a lot of physical and psychological energy out of him. He said he needed a little time to get back into rhythm. East and the Spurs win games (six wins, six losses), it's much better for him. He has collective goals: to win more than 40 games and stay in the play-in race as long as possible. Western Conference). But above all, he has the objective of being an All Star in February. That requires combining collective results and individual performances, and a 50-point match makes an impression.
His status as the new boss in San Antonio will also help him in his progress….
“He's the hub for Spurs today. Almost all the balls go through him. He goes up the ball, he plays pick and roll, and he's now surrounded by experienced guys. He's taking advantage of his relationship with Chris Paul and his advice Chris Paul has never been an NBA champion but he is one of the fifteen best point guards in the history of the league. He has above average knowledge and reading of the game, so that's okay too. help Victor.
