On the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, Victor Wembanyama set fire to the nets, slamming 37 points in the face and under the beard of the Ignite Team pros. Eyes wide open, triple ration of superlatives, crazy comparisons dictated by excitement: here is an anthology of the best – and worst – of what we have heard / read about him.
“Last year I convinced my wife to go see the Wembanyama show on our wedding day in Paris. I told him he was a generational talent that we had to see him in person. He now he thinks I’m a genius. ” The chic inspiration is that of this “Rafael Barlowe”, scouting director of the NBA Big Board, a nice newsletter that alerts in real time on the evolution of pranks and examines the latest changes in the mind of the GM lambda. But the “final losses” should not be forty-two thousand at the head of this season’s joke. After his performance at the 37 points against Ignite Team, Victor Wembanyama more or less got everyone in agreement. We were therefore able to read / hear analyzes, comparisons and reactions about him, as flattering as they are justified, sometimes disproportionate, but which all echoed the same thought: Victor Wembanyama is a generational phenomenon.
Wembanyama ends with 7 3-pointers and 5 blocks, something that has only happened once in NBA history
– Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) October 5, 2022
A simple match of exhibition and already “record-breaking” figures. The scout of Bleacher reportJonathan Wasserman, pulled an unusual statistical combination from Victor’s game card: only once in NBA history has a player been registered 7 3-point shots and 5 blocks. It was Danny Green. A night during which the sniper had a pretty hot hand, and was rewarded for his defensive investment with an easy to fill scoresheet. Among the records Victor will threaten when he arrives in the NBA – if his development process follows his course well – the 5-shot and 5-block games could become his thing. For now, the record holder is Raef LaFrentz with four games to five of three and five blocks. In our imaginations, Vico fucks LaFrentz in the back of his rookie season. But not everything always happens as in our imagination …
Is Victor just a Porzingis “croissant-baguette”, as this brave Internet user puts it? If we take away his acting, his increased mobility, his handle, his defensive instincts, several inches in size / wingspan and he asks the army barber for a haircut, then yes, Victor Wembanyama doesn’t have a great , something more of Kristaps Porzingis. But not everyone agrees on comparisons. For ESPN, a GM of an NBA franchise – who remained anonymous – took a little road trip: “It’s a 2.24m Kevin Durant who’s blocking shots and he’s not even close to what he’ll still be. He will be the most publicized player since LeBron “. Always easy to turn on when you don’t give your identity and the projects of the franchise in question are not made public. Wiseguy. One of the most publicized analysts and scouts of the Zitazouni, Jonathan Givony (ESPN), it also fell the easy way by swinging the All-Stars names as if they only represented defense, speed or dominance, and that all of these criteria could add up like bad bread. And a little’ bankable. Super flattering, but a little bit bankable.
“Think Kevin Durant meets Rudy Gobert. “@Bozza Express says Victor Wembanyama is a potential client he has never seen before 🤯 pic.twitter.com/RaUoJwC7G0
– NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 5, 2022
What we like is the non-constructive criticism. Tired of “It’s a mix of LeBron James and Yogi Ferrell prime”, we’d like to be a little bit more bitter in this wave of optimism. Nor is the statement of Marc J. Spears – writer for ESPN e Andscape – that will satisfy us. “Every so often, in sports, you witness an event that you remember for the rest of your life. This match against Victor Wembanyama is one of those memorable moments.. But what do all these skilled professionals have, praising a young man while Jean-Yves Planchais, outclassed in the last departmental department during his senior year as a junior, assures us that Victor is a rude young man who must “Deflate your melon 😉”. We therefore give little credibility to the release of LeBron James as the one who would not be a “unicorn” but an “alien” and that “No one has ever seen such a tall person be so fluid and graceful on the pitch”. Great anything.
LeBron expressed his opinion on Victor Wembanyama.
“It’s not a unicorn, it’s a UFO” 👽 pic.twitter.com/UEv8aXxOrq
– TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) 6 October 2022
Asked by Bixente, Arsène Wenger allegedly Victor Wembanyama is “strong” and promised “a bright future”. The kind of analytics we pay our TV subscription for without batting an eye. We close with the scout of Forbes, Shane Young, who already after a few minutes of the match on Tuesday evening claimed the “dominance” of Victor Wembanyama as acquired at the highest levels. Not shy, sir.
“I’ve seen enough. Victor Wembanyama will rule the world someday. He shouldn’t be a good shooter at 2m21 and 18. – Shane Young
Well, Americans like us still have some trouble adjusting the slider to Victor Wembanyama’s exact height. We take advantage of this end of the sheet to remind you that it measures 2m21 without shoes, which is … very high on the floor.
