Victor Wembanyama dominated against Turkey in a warm-up game before the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the 20 minutes that Wemby was on the floor, he forced the Turkish players into 9 turnovers, kept them to just 1-24 from the field, 1-10 inside the arc, and 0-14 from the three-point line. He limited them to a meager 10 points during his time on the court.
Wembanyama was sensational not just defensively, but offensively as well. He put up 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. He went 71% from the field, and 50% from the three-point line. Defensively, Wemby secured 3 blocks and 1 steal as he helped the French team win by 50 points over Turkey.
The 96-46 victory for France didn’t come just because of Wembanyama alone, but his partnership with Rudy Gobert. The two frontrunners for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award last season combined very well, dispelling a lot of fears over their fit together.
Gobert put up 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block. The true power of both players’ defensive prowess will be unlocked in international games, as neither will be restricted by the stringent defensive rules of the NBA, such as the three-second rule for example.
France looks like it can pose a genuine threat to the dominance of the United States at this year’s Olympics. Not only do they have some of the best players in the NBA, including the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, but they are also going to have the support of the home crowd since the games are being held in Paris.
French Basketball On The Rise In The NBA
The success of Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert has indicated the rise of France as a basketball powerhouse in the NBA. Not only are the reigning Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year from France, but the first two picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr are both from France as well.
While the NBA has had French stars in the past, like Tony Parker, they have never had such a wealth of superstar-caliber players in the league from France. It really speaks to the incredible line of athletes that the country has produced that they are doing so well.
Prior to Joel Embiid declaring to compete for the United States, France expected to have Embiid represent them and was going to start him alongside Wembanyama and Gobert. While losing a player the caliber of Embiid can be difficult, it speaks to the talent of the French team that they are still looking incredibly dominant without him.
The French National Team will be one to watch at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Despite his youth, Wembanyama looks to be one of the best young players in recent memory, and he has shown that the spotlight is not too bright for him at all. It will be interesting to see how they do in the summer tournament.
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