Victor Wembanyama spoke in a recent interview with ESPN ahead of the new NBA season. Wemby noted that after the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he and France won the silver medal, he returned to San Antonio to train and put in some more work. He added that working for four to five weeks allowed him to take another step in his development, which he hopes to continue in the years to come.
“After the Olympics, I spent four or five weeks working here. It’s enough to make me pass another step. This is how I want to go. I want to keep progressing every year, every summer. It has helped me already through the Olympics, and I’m sure it’s going to help me during the season too.”
Wembanyama’s development was chronicled in the ESPN article, which noted that Wemby put in the work this offseason to improve his strength and conditioning. Heading into the new NBA season, Wembanyama has put on 25 pounds, going from 210 pounds at the beginning of last season to 235 pounds heading into the new season.
It was also reported that Wemby worked out with former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford in order to help his movement, ballhandling and scoring. Crawford, who was a prolific scorer during his time in the NBA, brought a different perspective than a coach would, at least according to Wembanyama.
“It was my first time working for this long with a retired actual NBA player. The view he has of the game is different from a coach.”
Wembanyama seems to be expanding his profile as a player, and making himself an even more dangerous offensive player, not just relying on his size, but using his strength and speed as tools to put up points and make a difference on the court.
No Room For Rookie Errors Says Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama also spoke about the expectations placed on him in terms of being on the money next season. He noted that last year, he had the excuse of it being his first time in the NBA. Now, with a full season’s experience under his belt, he cannot use the same reasoning for falling short.
“The difference with last year is it was my very first experience. I was running around doing a bunch of stuff. We’re going to be less loose on the youth errors, the youth mistakes. Coach gave me one year to figure out a little bit more about my game. But now, it’s time to be held to certain standards.”
Wembanyama had an excellent rookie year, where he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game. He won Rookie of the Year and finished second in the race for Defensive Player of the Year.
Next season could be a breakout year for Wemby, as he could take a major leap in his NBA career. Gilbert Arenas believes that Wembanyama will have a year similar to Michael Jordan in 1987-88, where he won the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year award. If Wemby could achieve that in his second season, he would be well on his way to cementing himself in history as an all-time great.
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