Victor Wembanyama broke many records in his first NBA season and rightfully earned the Rookie of the Year award. Most recently, he played in six high-pressured contests at the Paris Olympics and admitted to learning many lessons after competing at the highest international level.
“It’s hard to win games in the Olympics. But it’s very easy to lose games,” said the No. 1 pick of the 2023 Draft. He revealed that he had never experienced pressure of this sort before in his short-lived career. He now understands that it might take “a long time before I experience something like this” in the NBA, unless his team returns to the playoffs.
During San Antonio’s media day this week, the French star spoke of his Olympic lessons. “It was perhaps the most intense sports experience of my life,” Victor shared. “I felt really lucky to have the chance to live through those experiences. I felt proud as well. During all elimination games, for 40 minutes, we were locked in thinking about one thing: the next play.
Victor Wembanyama was asked by reporters how he plans to manage expectations in year 2.
His response: “I don’t have any responsibility to any of you, really.”
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“As a team, it builds something to have this level of concentration, all of us towards the same goal. The emotion is just too much to contain. You have to scream or cry a little bit. It’s too much to contain.”
The 20-year-old has been very vocal about wanting to show himself with clear manifestation after what he considered a hard-worked offseason. The Spurs big man assured that his objective this year is more collective than last year, wishing to return his franchise to playoff contention.
“These expectations, I just manage like I’ve managed all the others for years,” said Wemby, who produced averages of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in his rookie year. “I just focus on my actual responsibilities. I can say I’m glad these abilities are being recognized.”
The player has also changed physically, as he’s 25 pounds heavier than at the start of his first campaign. “My emphasis is always going to be on winning and making my teammates better. It’s no different than previous years. It’s just that last year, our expectations were to learn and know ourselves. This year, we expect from us to win,” he assured.
Coach Popovich recognized that his pupil is stronger and wiser than before, especially after his experience representing France in the past Olympics
Wembanyama’s development hasn’t gone unnoticed by his coach. “He improved steadily throughout the Olympics and ended up being very formidable,” Gregg Popovich said. “His aggressiveness was the big thing, and physicality. He’s understanding what it takes, what he’s going to get, and what he’s got to give back to counter that kind of thing. FIBA is much more aggressive.”
“So, it was a wonderful little petri dish for him, so to speak,” he added. “To be able to have to do that every day and every game, that’s where he really rose as it went along. He scored 26 points against the USA team in the Finals. It was kind of like a David Robinson thing where I didn’t really know he had 26 points. It was like that with Victor because he can do so many different things.”
The legendary tactician wasn’t the only one who witnessed Wemby’s greatness in these past summer Olympics, as new teammate Harrison Barnes watched him play too in Paris, calling the gold-medal game a “win-win” for him because he excelled at the greatest stage.
“It just shows the growth and maturity that he has for a guy his age to be playing in that type of moment at home,” Barnes guaranteed during his media day interview. “I don’t think people realize, just, the pressure he was under.”
