Is there another bust in the making in French basketball sensation Victor Wembanyama?
If his individual playoff struggles are any indication, then Gregg Popovich and the many Spurs legends that are planning to mentor him have some work cut out for them if they expect Victor to lead the struggling franchise back to prominence
Wemby’s first game in the French League Finals was highly unimpressive as the guy touted as a “generational player” finished with 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.
This is an unusual stat line for the 7-foot-5 do-it-all big man who normally averages 21.6 ppg and 10.4 rpg.
What Happened To Wemby In Game 1?
One could say he just had a bad game, as many superstars do every once in a while.
When looking at his playoff track record, Wembanyama’s scoring has been down the entire French League playoffs. That’s surprising for someone who’s virtually dominated the French League this year with the Metropolitan 97s
Wemby, who is all but locked in as a future San Antonio Spur, has been the consensus No. 1 pick for a while now, and analysts could find little to no flaws in his game aside from his frame and how fragile and skinny he looks, similar to the physique of Kevin Durant. But even with that concern, Wemby has been pretty solid and sturdy.
But after only 8 points in a championship game, some, not many, are calling his ability to perform on the highest stage into question. With a tough loss to top-seeded Monaco, the second-seeded Metropolitan 97s lost 87-67, absolutely getting dominated by Monaco in Game 1 of the finals.
Wemby’s eight points came on 3-for-8 shooting from the field, and the defense on him seems to have picked up pretty well on him.
Game 2 Wasn’t Much Better
After a mediocre performance on Monday in Game 2 of the French League Final, there’s still not much to be said about Wemby’s big-game performances. Though he had a respectable stat line with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals, his squad still dropped the second game to Monaco 95-88 and is trailing 0-2 in the best-of-five series.
Victor will have to have a huge performance in Game 3 to quash some of the social media hate and keep his team’s championship hopes alive.
Wemby Will Be Tutored By Spurs Legends
Moving on to the NBA, it has already been stated that former San Antonio Spurs legends Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and Tim Duncan will be mentoring and training Victor, while he’s under Popovich’s tutelage.
This is a huge thing for the Spurs, because they’re combining some of the smartest and most talented players mentoring into one of the most athletically gifted players we’ve ever seen.
By the time Wemby gets to the NBA and can get some reps under his belt and maybe a year or two of experience in the league, he should be a bona fide superstar.
Tim Duncan and company are going to watch a good amount of film and will help him develop the mindset to be cool under pressure in high-pressure games in the playoffs.
If Wemby can learn from these legends and Popovich and continue to work on his game, fans won’t see many of these playoff meltdowns for the Spurs.
