Ahead of his showdown against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, star big man Rudy Gobert got real on what it was like to watch his fellow center and Frenchman dominate at such a high level.
“I kind of feel like a proud dad when I watch him play,” said Gobert in a chat with Jon Krawwczynski. “Really happy for him. He’s put in the work, so you know he’s dedicated like I’ve probably never seen a 19-year-old dedicated. So he’s been doing some incredible things and it’s going to be fun to face each other and just go out there and try to win.”
Friday’s clash between the Spurs and Timberwolves is one of the more intriguing matchups of the night. The Wolves, who are over-exceeding expectations so far, are riding on the defensive dominance of Gobert, who is currently in the middle of his best season since leaving the Jazz. Despite having over a decade of experience over Wembanyama, Rudy has always expressed profound respect for the young big man and he continued that theme ahead of their first game against each other.
Gobert And Victor Have A Connection
For Gobert and Wembanyama, they share more in common than an above-average body size. In fact, Victor is the biggest basketball star to come out of France since Gobert himself, who is a 3x All-Star, 3x Defensive Player of the Year, and 4x All-NBA player. Throughout Victor’s rookie season, Gobert has helped the young star get his bearings both in the U.S. and the NBA. The pair are even projected to be teammates next summer for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
While there is no question that Victor’s ceiling soars over Gobert, he still has a while to go before he can match the accolades of his French counterpart. As a 7’4″ freak of nature with impressive body control, Wemby has all the tools to be a basketball legend, but the key for him will be dominating on both ends of the floor. And when it comes to defense, there may be nobody better on this earth to show him the ropes than Rudy Gobert, who is currently in the middle of another Defensive Player of the Year campaign.
Wembanyama Is The Next Great NBA Legend
Wembanyama has shown flashes of his stardom this season (like his 38-point performance against the Suns last Thursday), but his performance thus far can only be described as inconsistent. With averages of 18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in his first 8 games, Victor is already one of the top players at his position but he hasn’t yet found his spots and his shooting percentage sits at 44% from the field, including 29% from three.
From everything we’ve seen so far, it will take some time for Wembanyama to reach his potential and it would be unfair to expect him to dominate straight out of the gate. Even so, he’s already done more in his short career so far than most players his age could dream of and there are no signs of him slowing down now. In fact, with the support of Gregg Popovich, the Spurs organization, and NBA veterans like Rudy Gobert, Wembanyama is destined to achieve great things in the league. This Friday will just be his latest opportunity to make a statement and assert his place as one of the elites.
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