A silver-medal finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics set the stage for Victor Wembanyama’s second NBA season. After France lost to Team USA in the gold-medal game, Wemby sent a clear message to his future rivals. “I’m learning, and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple of years,” he said, according to Mike Finger.
When asked if he meant his FIBA or NBA opponents, Wemby simply replied, “Everywhere.” The 20-year-old star scored 26 points with seven rebounds and two assists in the 98-87 loss to Team USA. Overcome with emotion after the game, he cried but was comforted by teammates and even some North American players.
His stats for the tournament were impressive: averaging 15.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2 steals, and nearly 2 blocks per game. He earned a spot on the Paris 2024 All-Star team alongside MVP LeBron James and other big names like Stephen Curry.
Wemby’s Future in San Antonio:
Many think this Olympic experience might help Wemby take his NBA game up a notch next season. Even though he’s not expected to make it to the playoffs yet, he’ll have more seasoned players around him this time.
The Spurs added Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes during the offseasonโa big change from last year’s inexperienced squad.
During their first news conference together, Paul shared why he’s excited about playing with Wemby: “There’s no player in the league that everybody talks about more after the game,” Paul said. “Me and Harrison were on our flight talking about how cool it’s going to be at this point in our careers to get a chance to appreciate him day in and day out.”
Fans might wonder if having these veterans will really make a difference for Wemby’s development.
Last season as a rookie for the Spurs, Wembanyama averaged an impressive 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, nearly four assists, over one steal per game while leading with an average of almost four blocks per match! He was named NBA Rookie of the Year unanimously and was second only behind Rudy Gobert for Defensive Player of Year honorsโplus becoming first rookie ever on All-Defensive First Team!
What do you think? Can he keep this momentum going?
