Just over a week ago Victor Wembanyama left the WiZink Center without proving almost anything what was expected of him. Walter Tavaresabove all, but also Vicent Poirier, were too strong and experienced rivals for this 18-year-old that in recent months has crept into conversations about basketball throughout Europe. Once he got over his shoulder injury that left him off the slopes for two months, between December and February, this 18-year-old Frenchman is showing everything he has, which is a lot. He may not have done it in Madrid, but last Wednesday in Lithuania he retaliated in a big way.
Asvel Villeurbanne beat Zalgiris Kaunas, 68-72, with the best European performance of this young man of 18 years and 2.20 tall. Wembanyama finished the match with 14 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5 blocks and a PIR of 23, all highs in his short EuroLeague career, in addition to grabbing 5 rebounds in the 28 minutes he was on the court. Is he eighth game in a row that he played as a starter, the last four with more than 20 minutes on court, and in this case having a crucial role in the victory of theirs. Especially with a basket with 3 minutes to go, with the score 60-60, in which he scored after a reverse and with a defender on top (everything on top of someone who measures 2.20) from close to the bottom line. From that moment Zalgiris did not get ahead again.
“I believe in him at the end of the games, he gives us a lot of things”assured his trainer, TJ Parker, who wants to take advantage of the time they have left together. Seems like a little over a year. How long it takes to finish the next season, 2022-23. That summer the NBA will knock on your door with the number 1 draft pick reserved for him. “There’s a lot of time left for that. There’s still a year and a half left before I play in the NBA. The most important thing for him and for me is that he stays healthy. With the type of body he has, it is difficult for him to start the seasons, it is difficult for him to find the rhythm. But now that he’s been working for a month or two straight, he’s feeling better and better. Listen and want to improve. It’s not easy for him because of his body type, he has to get stronger. But he works every day and he is earning the minutes.”.
On the opposite side, that of Zalgiris, it can be considered as a shock what produced the performance of the French interior. Donatas Urbonas, a journalist for BasketNews, assures that the Zalgirio Arena people wondered “who was that monster”. Paulius Jankunas, the player who has participated the most times in Euroleague history (390 matches), he was impressed with Wembanyama skills: “It was the first time I saw this young man. He has an incredible size. The way he moves and makes everything so easy at that age, you realize what a tremendous talent he has. I am impressed with her performance. He’s still a kid and uses his height a lot, but as soon as he gains muscle and experience he’s going to be an incredible player.”