The Paris Olympics are rapidly approaching. Countries from around the globe are preparing their best basketball players to compete for the gold medal in August. Team USA has a strong roster that should make them the favorites to win it all. San Antonio Spurs fans will likely be rooting for another contender – France, and its 7-foot-3 star, Victor Wembanyama.
The French national team played its first exhibition match on Wednesday. They made a massive statement with a 96-46 blowout win against Turkey. Wembanyama picked up where he left off in the NBA season with a dominant performance. The Spur had 24 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocks and 4 assists on 10-14 shooting from the field in just 20 minutes of play. Wemby was a game-high +44 in his time on the floor.
France is playing a twin tower duo in Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. There were some questions about how the pair would fit together offensively, but those doubts were quickly hushed. The high-low game of Wembanyama and Gobert was incredibly hard to guard. Both players are capable finishers and passers. With their combination of size and skill, France should thrive with them in the game.
The duo caused major issues for Turkey defensively. Gobert and Wembanyama were the Defensive Player of the Year and runner-up last season. With those two giants patrolling the paint, France’s guards were able to be aggressive at the point of attack. Turkey is a team that has no NBA players and did not qualify for the Olympics, but France still held them to 11 field goals made in the entire game. They forced Turkey to turn the ball over 19 times.
The offensive game plan for the French is clear, get the ball into the paint with one of their 7-footers, then rely on ball movement after the fact. France’s guards were constantly on the lookout for Wembanyama, finding him for several lobs in the game.
Victor still had plenty of the “wow” moments we’ve come to expect from him. He blocked a three-point shot, had multiple body contorting lobs and went 2-4 from three-point range. Wemby showed off a bit of everything, pushing the pace in transition with some good ball handling, picking up guards full court on defense and making some sweet-looking post moves. He looked to be in better shape, and perhaps a bit stronger in his first action since the NBA season.
France will play four more exhibition games before the Olympics start in late July. Their next contest comes against Germany on July 8 at 2 p.m. CT. All games will be available to stream on NBA.com
