Not solely did Victor Wembanyama brake many information in his first NBA season and rightfully earned the Rookie of the Yr award, he most just lately is coming from taking part in in six high-pressured contests on the Paris Olympics, and admitted to have realized many classes after competing on the highest worldwide degree.  

“It’s laborious to win video games within the Olympics. However it’s very straightforward to lose video games,” mentioned the No. 1 decide of the 2023 Draft, as he revealed that he had by no means skilled strain of this type throughout his short-lived profession. He now understands at it would take “a very long time earlier than I expertise one thing equivalent to this” within the NBA, until his workforce returns to the playoffs.

Throughout San Antonio’s media day this week, the French star spoke of his Olympic classes. “It was perhaps probably the most intense sports activities expertise in my life,” Victor shared. “I felt actually fortunate to have the possibility to dwell these experiences. I felt proud as properly. Throughout all elimination video games, for 40 minutes we had been locked in occupied with one factor: the subsequent play.

Victor Wembanyama was requested by reporters how he plans to handle expectations in yr 2.

His response: “I don’t have any accountability to any of you, actually.”

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— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 1, 2024

“As a workforce, it builds one thing to have this degree of focus, all of us in the direction of the identical objective. The emotion is simply an excessive amount of to include. You must scream or cry a bit bit. It’s an excessive amount of to include.”

The 20-year-old has been very vocal about wanting to point out himself with clear manifestation, after what he thought-about a hard-worked offseason. The Spurs huge man assured that his goal this yr is extra collective that final yr, as he needs to return his franchise to playoff competition.

“These expectations, I simply handle like I’ve managed all of the others for years,” mentioned Wemby, who produced averages of 21.4 factors, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals per recreation in his rookie yr. “I simply deal with my precise obligations. I can say I’m glad these talents are being acknowledged.”

The participant has additionally modified bodily, as he’s 25 pound heavier than firstly of his first marketing campaign. “My emphasis is all the time going to be on profitable and making my teammates higher. It’s no totally different than earlier years. It’s simply that final yr, our expectations had been to study and know ourselves. This yr, we anticipate from us to win,” he assured.

Coach Popovich acknowledged that his pupil is stronger and wiser than earlier than, particularly after his expertise representing France prior to now Olympics

Wembanyama’s growth hasn’t gone unnoticed by his coach. “He improved steadily all through the Olympics and ended up being very formidable,” Gregg Popovich mentioned. “His aggressiveness was the large factor, and physicality. He’s understanding what it takes, what he’s going to get, and what he’s bought to present again to counter that form of factor. FIBA is rather more aggressive.”

“So, it was a beautiful little petri dish for him, so to talk,” he added. “To have the ability to have to try this daily and each recreation, that’s the place he actually rose because it went alongside. He scored 26 factors towards the USA workforce within the Finals. It was form of like a David Robinson factor the place I didn’t actually know he had 26 factors. It was like that with Victor as a result of he can achieve this many various issues.”

The legendary tactician wasn’t the one one who witnessed Wemby’s greatness in these previous summer time Olympics, as new teammate Harrison Barnes watched him play too in Paris, calling the gold-medal recreation a “win-win” for him as a result of he excelled on the biggest stage.

“It simply exhibits the expansion and maturity that he has for a man his age to be taking part in in that sort of second at residence,” Barnes assured throughout his media day interview. “I don’t suppose folks understand, simply, the strain he was beneath.”