A few hours before the start of the NBA Finals, the Playoffs are also in full swing on the courts of the French championship. ASVEL was very scared in the first round once morest Cholet but the Villeurbannais will indeed face Dijon for a place in the final. The opportunity in particular to see how Victor Wembanyama is doing for his very first postseason among the pros.
Before even delving into sports and the recent results of the V in the black and white jersey of Villeurbanne, there are plenty of things to say in the news of the native of Chesnay. More than 12 months before its Draft, the hype is only mounting and you only have to see all the fans of NBA franchises in bad shape wishing to see their team tank next season to understand how much it feeds many fantasies in the land of Uncle Sam.
A trophy cabinet that continues to fill
Just overtaken by Rokas Jokubaitis in the coaches’ vote for the EuroLeague Rising Star rewarding the best young player, Victor Wembanyama did not go far from succeeding Luka Doncic, Usman Garuba or even Bogdan Bogdanovic and Ricky Rubio to go back a little further back . Best blocker in the competition, the Frenchie undoubtedly paid for his many absences in the first half of the season with 13 appearances once morest 37 for the Lithuanian leader. He will have another chance next year to put his name on the list of this trophy which generally promises a good career as well as a correct passage in the NBA to its winners. Fortunately, the ASVEL prodigy will not leave empty-handed this season. While waiting to perhaps win a new award during the Playoffs, he was named the best young player in the French championship for the second consecutive year. Some will point, once more, to his repeated absences until February, but with averages of 9.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 once morest at 47% shooting in 16 games, the file of the protege of Tony Parker still had solid arguments. Already very rehearsed in the media exercise, VW nevertheless split a small quote to summarize its first year in the Rhône on the antenna of beIN Sports.
“A very satisfying season since we finished first in the regular. Going back to the individual, I think it was an interesting season and I confirmed that I might dominate in Betclic Elite and in EuroLeague. »
???? BACK TO BACK POUR LE V ????
???? At only 18 years old, ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????? is voted best young player in the championship for the second year in a row ????#LNBextra #TrophéesLNB #BetclicELITE pic.twitter.com/ZJVjut5UOT
— LNB (@LNBofficiel) May 18, 2022
Victor Wembanyama still at the top of the 2023 NBA mock draft
Being named the best young player in your country is good. To be considered the best of his generation worldwide, that’s another story. Last January, we reported Victor Wembanyama’s favorite status in the 2023 Draft. At the time, he had hardly played all season. A few months later, its rank as leader has only grown stronger, this time with images and statistics to support the words of scouting experts from ESPN. Accustomed to traveling around the world to observe the best prospects on the planet, Mike Schmitz remains speechless at the potential of the Frenchman.
“Wembanyama is the real nugget of this cuvée and the best prospect in the world, regardless of age. I have long considered the 18-year-old French big man the best prospect I have personally seen, and at 2.19m, with a wingspan of 235cm and over 3m with his arms up, he is to confirm this infinite potential with a real production at ASVEL. […]
More than the numbers, it’s how he gets his stats that impresses. ASVEL releases him with screens without the ball like a winger, allowing him to take advantage of his ball touch. With his handle and his footwork, he looks like a bigger Kevin Durant, able to create and put three-point stepbacks. He begins to expand his play at mid-distance, he can turn around with a shoulder with disconcerting ease. He manages to catch lobs that no other player on the planet can imagine catching. On top of all that, he protects his circle to a fantastic level – far more than Rudy Gobert at the same age – while showing an ability to switch at full back like no other player his size can. Wembanyama is the only player in EuroLeague history to have a blocking percentage of 12%.
He always has small defensive errors near the basket and he can sometimes be a little too confident offensively. Its still frail build also raises questions regarding its longevity. But Wembanyama is a unique prospect, he can change a franchise and he’s a future NBA MVP as long as he stays healthy. »
Who is the true prize of the 2023 NBA Draft? Victor Wembanyama. We often overuse the term « generational prospect. » This is not one of those times. https://t.co/Cf5xYRYecK pic.twitter.com/Dh7YuA6aZp
— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) May 7, 2022
You will certainly not read anything more glowing regarding him today and we are talking regarding an expert who spends his time studying the game of future NBA players. If you still doubted the youngster’s potential or our neutrality regarding France’s greatest ever prospect, this might help open your eyes to him.
ESPN’s NBA Draft Analyst Mike Schmitz is finalizing a deal to become an assistant GM with the Portland Trail Blazers, sources tell ESPN. Schmitz will play a significant role with new GM Joe Cronin in leading the Blazers’ domestic and international scouting departments.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 27, 2022
Mike Schmitz, let’s talk regarding it. The head of the scouting section ofESPN is currently in the process of converting to the sports management of an NBA franchise. According to the latest rumors launched by his colleague and colleague, Adrian Wojnarowski, he would be finalizing a contract to become the new assistant GM of the Blazers. His expertise will be of great use in Oregon, which has not necessarily always made the best choices in the Draft in the past. Not everyone can boast of having passed Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant in the Draft. In any case, given the critical situation in Rip City, this announcement tells us that the Blazers will not refuse to bet on Victor Wembanyama in the event of availability in 2023. Unfortunately for them, they may not be the only ones on the spot. . While the Draft 2022 lottery has delivered its verdict, we can already see many fans looking forward to the next Draft. There are years when tanking is more profitable than others and we will have to expect extremely weak balance sheets in 2022-23 in the race for V.
Recently, an anonymous NBA scout went even further by painting a portrait that would make any team manager dream.
“To put it simply, he can defend like Gobert, attack like Porzingis and with the passing qualities of Jokic. If he stays healthy, humble and ambitious, he can be the new NBA phenom coming from Europe. »
“Simply put he can be Gobert defensively, Porzingis offensively with passing skills a la Jokic. If he stays healthy, humble and hungry he can be the next big thing coming from Europe to the NBA.”????
– NBA Scout on Victor Wembanyama
(Via FIBA)— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 6, 2022
The Playoffs, the discovery of another world
Far from worrying regarding all these compliments pronounced towards him, Victor Wembanyama continues his apprenticeship season at the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône. From May 1, he sets up a construction site opposite Le Mans to celebrate Labor Day. Absent three games to take care of his body and take maximum precautions, we had to wait for the start of the Playoffs to find him. Against Cholet, he made a shy first performance, like all his surprise team at home. The trainer, TJ Parker, will choose not to call on him in Act II at La Meilleraie (2 minutes of play). High-level learning also goes through this and Victor is not yet the go-to-guy of his team, which is almost reassuring for his age.
???? “???????? ???????????? ????????????????????????????????????????”
???????? 12 PTS, 2/3 to 3 PTS, 6 RBDS, 4 BLOCKS and 17 D’ÉVAL for Victor Wembanyama once morest Le Mans!#BetclicELITE @vicw_32 x @LDLCASVEL pic.twitter.com/NFFbjffkeu
— LNB (@LNBofficiel) May 2, 2022
Victor and Villeurbanne can thank Élie Okobo for the work. Back at the Astroballe for a decisive Game 3, Wembanyama is much stronger. He notably investigates two winning shots in a row in the middle of the third quarter including an and-one which will prove precious in the end (victory 84-82). Under the eyes of Giannis Antetokounmpo who came to encourage his brother, Wemby responded present and we are already salivating regarding the duels he might engage with the Greek on the NBA floors in a few years.
???? The V is determined!
2 baskets in a row at 3 PTS for Victor Wembanyama ????????#PlayoffsBetclicELITE #LNBextra @vicw_32 x @LDLCASVEL pic.twitter.com/Ij2KWBvhwp
— LNB (@LNBofficiel) May 29, 2022
A blue future to prepare
There is even a scenario in which Victor Wembanyama and the Greek Freak meet this summer on the grounds of EuroBasket 2022. For the moment, the Villeurbannais is not part of the list of 16 players selected by Vincent Collet to compete in the qualifications for the 2023 World Cup. This oversight calls out as two ASVEL players have been called up. We will obviously follow the sequence of events to see if we can hope to see the V get a first international experience with adults in September or if the coach judges that it is still a little early in the development of the young player.
FOCUS ????
16 players have been selected by Vincent Collet for the next gathering before the two matches once morest Montenegro and Hungary counting for the qualifications for the @FIBAWC 2023 ????
More informations : https://t.co/SLNW0g7LSj#TeamFranceBasket #PassionatelyBlue pic.twitter.com/45HVI1VNXc
— France Basketball Teams (@FRABasketball) May 25, 2022
Another enticing prospect, the process of naturalization of Joel Embiid has given rise to desires that we would never have suspected. A Rudy Gobert, Joel Embid and Victor Wembanyama trio in the EDF jersey, what kind of cheat code is that? However, the sentence no longer seems so impossible as that. The cainris are warned, France will not be satisfied with anything other than gold.
To end with the rumors around the blue-white-red jersey, the arrival of Vincent Collet on the ASVEL bench is whispered by some behind the scenes. This would in particular be the opportunity for the coach to rub shoulders with his jewel for a whole season before the big international deadlines of 2023 and 2024.
Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama in the France team. pic.twitter.com/z6XooKy00a
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) May 2, 2022
The month of May of Victor Wembanyama in figures:
- May 1 vs Le Mans (championship): 12 points at 5/7 shooting including 2/3 from the parking lot, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 interception, 3 turnovers, 4 personal fouls and 2 fouls caused in 19 minutes
- May 4 @ Gravelines-Dunkerque (championship): DNP
- May 10 vs Cholet (championship): DNP
- May 17 @ Limoges (championship): DNP
- 24 mai vs Cholet (Playoffs) : 2 points at 1/4 shooting including 0/1 from the parking lot, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 3 personal fouls and 1 foul caused in 15 minutes.
- 27 mai @ Cholet (Playoffs) : 0 point at 0/0 in shooting and 2 personal fouls in 2 minutes.
- 29 mai vs Cholet (Playoffs) : 7 points at 2/4 in shooting including 2/4 from parking and 1/1 in throws, 1 rebound, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls caused in 9 minutes.
It’s another rich month that ends for the V, fully focused on the ground to continue its progression supposed to bring it to Pluto. This will go through an important first match once morest Dijon this evening, in its quest for a first collective title among the pros. But according to the specialists, some statuettes should quickly come to garnish his trophy cabinet.
Sources texte : ESPN, LNB
