Victor Wembanyama and France suffered a crushing defeat to Team USA in the gold medal game today. Despite playing at home, France couldn’t overcome the strength of Team USA. After the game, Victor Wembanyama claimed that he would learn from this bitter loss, and give his opponents problems, both in the NBA and in FIBA.
Victor Wembanyama: “I’m learning, and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple of years.”
Reporter: “In FIBA or the NBA?”
Wemby: “Everywhere.”
No videotaping allowed in the mixed zone, but for those asking to hear Wemby talk about worrying for future opponents: pic.twitter.com/Vu8wmtdWK3
— Mike Finger (@mikefinger) August 11, 2024
Wembanyama is going to use this loss as motivation for the rest of his career. At just 19 years old, Wemby is coming off not just a great rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs, but now, a silver medal win at the 2024 Olympics. If his first year in the basketball spotlight was any indication of what the rest of his career would look like, his contemporaries should be worried.
Wemby had a great game against Team USA despite the loss, where he put up 26 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. He led the French team in scoring and was their best player on the court. But his showing wasn’t enough to overcome the might and depth of Team USA, who were able to dispatch the French en route to their fifth consecutive gold medal.
With this loss to Team USA, Wembanyama will likely take a few weeks off to decompress, before he is back in the lab, getting ready to return to the NBA and dominate the rest of the competition with the Spurs. Expect a more motivated Wemby than ever before next season, with better scoring chances now that he has veteran point guard Chris Paul as his teammate.
Victor Wembanyama Looking To Take The Next Big Leap
Many expect Wembanyama to improve on his rookie season next year in the NBA. In his rookie season, Wemby averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, as he went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, and finished second in the race for Defensive Player of the Year to his fellow French teammate Rudy Gobert.
If Wembanyama is able to improve his stats and performances next season, he is likely to be named an All-Star and All-NBA player come the end of the season. Wemby has shown that he can adapt to the NBA very well and has found a lot of success as a player so far.
Next season, as mentioned above, Victor Wembanyama will have Chris Paul as his teammate. Paul, despite not being at his best anymore, is still one of the smartest players in the NBA, who knows how to set up and create for his teammates very well. If he can create chances for Wemby during open play and from out-ball situations, Wemby could take a major jump in his production next season.
Keep an eye on Wembanyama next year, as he is sure to be even better than he was in his rookie season. We could be looking at one of the fastest rises to superstardom in the NBA since LeBron James, if Wemby delivers the goods next year.
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