Victor Wembanyama looks destined for NBA superstardom after a sensational rookie season and a phenomenal summer campaign with France where he brought the country their second-successive Silver medal at the Olympics. After his loss, Kevin Durant could be seen consoling an emotional Wembanyama on the court. The French center shared his true thoughts on Durant on French TV, calling him his favorite.
“Clearly, this is my personal childhood favorite, he became my favorite player. I made it clear to him that I wanted to learn from him and perhaps steal one or two of his secret techniques.”
“He's my youth icon. He's my favorite player. I made him understand that I want to learn from him, and steal 1 or 2 of his secret techniques”
Wemby discussion with Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/vAxCjBNAHZ
— 𝐇𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 ✰ (@Hatedzs) August 14, 2024
Wembanyama averaged 15.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game at the Olympics, emerging as France’s starting center with his presence forcing Rudy Gobert to be benched as the starting center of the national team.
He will headline a new generation of young French players who are already making their way to the NBA. Alongside Wemby, the NBA currently has players like Bilal Coulibaly, the top two picks of the 2024 Draft Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, along with future prospects such as Nolan Traore.
Durant averaged 13.8 points throughout the Olympics, coming off the bench in all games except the final against Wembanyama’s France. He iced the final with a big bucket with less than 40 seconds on the clock, showing that Wembanyama hasn’t necessarily snatched the torch away from the older generation just yet.
Carmelo Anthony Called Wembanyama An Evolution Of Kevin Durant
It’s no surprise that Wemby looks at Durant for inspiration given the parallels in their game. Durant isn’t as physically gifted as Wemby, who stands at 7’4″ with an 8-foot wingspan, but both have similar slender frames with a shooting touch that isn’t common at their size. Carmelo Anthony has already hailed Wembanyama as an evolution of Durant.
“What we seeing now with Wemby… It’s an evolution of Durant, KD… You talking about the mold of KD, 6′ 10″-6′ 11″ can handle, can shoot, a sniper, a killer. You get what I’m saying? That’s the mold.”
Even Durant knows Wemby will be a problem for a long time to come, joking about how he’s happy to be at the end of his career.
“He can achieve anything he wants in this game, it’s crazy. He’s only getting more comfortable as time goes on… it’s insane how dominant he’s gonna be as he gets more comfortable with the game. Luckily, I’m on my way out, so I won’t have to deal with it too much. But you can see him settling in game after game and it’s been a joy to watch.”
There are similarities between the pair, but Wembanyama came into the NBA a far better defender than Durant has ever been. Similarly, Durant’s offensive talents cannot be compared to anyone, especially Wembanyama after an inefficient shooting season as a rookie.
Wembanyama seems to fit the mold of a big man more than a wing like Durant due to his physical stature, so if he can integrate even 50% of Durant’s shooting talent, he would be one of the best players the NBA has ever seen.
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