The giant "alien" alone shoulders France's hopes
Victor Wembanyama is 20 years old and is making his Olympic debut. The French team is caught between generations. Nevertheless, all medal dreams of this "Equipe Tricolore" rest solely on the incomparable basketball alien. Is that fair?
"It's a dream to be at the Olympics. The emotions are overwhelming." Victor Wembanyama was visibly moved at the start of his first appearance, which is also taking place in his home country France and his birthplace Paris. France has high expectations for its athletes, especially in basketball. This can already make even the coolest young professionals, like Wembanyama, think deeply. But who can blame him, this otherworldly, surreal-seeming player who celebrated his 20th birthday in January and already broke NBA records as a rookie. How he responds mentally to difficulties and adversity is just as remarkable as his skillset.
The "alien" is only called "Wemby". His skills on the court, his mobility, grace, and effectiveness, despite his 2.24-meter height and 2.45-meter wingspan, all seem fantastic, sometimes even supernatural. This exceptional talent is supposed to help his home country achieve a similarly successful tournament as three years ago in Tokyo, when the French shocked the USA with an 83:76 victory in the preliminary round and eventually won the silver medal.
Problem: The team around him doesn't seem quite suited to the high goals. The spacing is suboptimal, the fine-tuning isn't there yet, and time is not on the French side. "He can do so many things offensively that it's sometimes hard for him to stay in his position." With these words about "Wemby", Evan Fournier surprised observers a few days ago, but also admitted unreservedly where the greatest challenge lies at the moment: "We've only played a few weeks with Vic, so we're trying to find him closer to the basket and in good matchups. We want to help him play our kind of basketball."
Unbeaten despite problems - and thanks to Wemby
All protagonists and not least head coach Vincent Collet hope that the collective tension and problems at the start of the tournament will give way to increasing synergies and improved playing form. "We need Wemby close to the basket. There he can dominate every time. But he can't win alone. We have to involve everyone. We can't get better if we don't find this chemistry."
The loud sigh of relief in Lille, it was the collective exhale of the entire "Grande Nation" after 85 minutes of constant tension. France found itself in trouble twice, but still managed to win both times. Already in the first game, Brazil was on the verge of spoiling the party and ruining the hosts' mood. The nerves of the nearly 27,000 spectators in the sold-out Pierre Mauroy Stadium were stretched thin for a long time. Then Wembanyama had enough. Three dunks in a dominant second quarter and suffocating defense not only helped to make up for an early double-digit deficit, but also powered the home team to the relieving 78:66 opening victory.
The fans: they were thrilled. Every action of Wembanyama was accompanied by "Aahs" and "Oohs". The youngster was the top scorer with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks in his Olympic debut. Since 1972, only one other player under 21 has ever achieved at least 18 points and 8 rebounds in their first Olympic appearance: Dražen Petrović, in 1984 for Yugoslavia against Germany.
In Game Two against Japan, Wembanyama was once again his team's top scorer and most productive player, contributing 18 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks to secure the overtime victory. France was on the brink of tears, with Japan leading 84:80 late in the game, but Matthew Strazel's miraculous four-point play, including a clutch three-pointer and a subsequent free throw, tied the game with just 12 seconds remaining in regulation.
"Sometimes, God is on your side," Nic Batum later remarked. "He was the man of the match, he saved us," said a visibly relieved Collet. "It was the shot of his life, and I feel lucky to have witnessed it live," Wembanyama smiled after the game. Strazel finished with 17 points in the 94:90 overtime win. In the extra period, Wemby took over again, going on a personal 8:0 run with a three-point play, a three-pointer, and two free throws, sealing the second win in as many games. His emotional reaction after the three-pointer showed the tension and the collective sigh of relief.
Wembanyama is treated like a messiah in France, with immense adoration and equally high expectations. His face is everywhere, fans wear his jersey, and everyone clamors for a glimpse, a word, a moment with the wunderkind. Is it fair to expect such great things from an Olympic debutant? The 20-year-old seems to bear the weight of France's basketball hopes alone.
"I saw him stressed for the first time in his career"
"I saw him stressed for the first time in his career," Collet recently said. "Three days before the opener, I could feel it, so we all talked to him. Here in France, they've all been waiting for him for so long. They compare him to Michael Jordan, but he needs time." Batum and Collet, who have been working together for nearly 20 years, have focused on establishing Wemby as the French team's pivot. "I like how they involve me. I communicate a lot. We're all here for one reason."
"It's so easy to play with him," Batum, the team's leader and captain, explains. "He's huge, and he just understands the game. I've played with many great players, but he has such a high IQ at his age, it makes it incredibly easy. He's so good, the opponent always focuses on him, so I look for him in the best situations to build our game around him."
The main risk in France's game is that this strategy doesn't always work, as they lack options and creativity on offense. Defensively, however, the "Equipe Tricolore" is tough to break, thanks to Wembanyama, multiple NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, and elite wing defender Nic Batum. But in 2024, basketball will be won on offense, and that's where "Les Bleus" look thin.
With Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs), Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves), Batum (Los Angeles Clippers), and Bilal Coulibaly (Washington Wizards), the French have four active NBA players. Fournier, Guershon Yabusele, Frank Ntilikina, and Nando De Colo have also played in the world's best league. Despite the quality still in this roster, the golden era of the national team is long gone. The talent that has emerged from France in recent years has not yet translated to international competition.
This year, two of the top 2 and three of the top 6 selected NBA rookies were French (Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, and Tidjane Salou). In 2023, Wembanyma (1st pick) and Coulibaly (7th pick) were highly drafted. For 2025, Nolan Traoré is considered one of the top talents and a sure lottery pick. However, it will take time for these youngsters to reach their potential, leaving the team stuck between generations and in a bit of an identity crisis.
Wembanyama is not yet the established pivot point. The coaching staff and key players are aging. Despite strengths in the frontcourt and defense, there are glaring gaps on the wings and, especially, at the guard positions, which are not befitting of a top team. The offense often looks forced, lacking organization and reliable scoring options. Fournier and Nando De Colo were never pure point guards; Ntilikina and Andrew Albicy are far from international top level. Strzel is just 21 years old. De Colo (37), Batum (35), Gobert (32), and Fournier (31) are all in their later years. Three consecutive medals (bronze at the 2019 World Cup, silver at Tokyo 2021 and the 2022 EuroBasket) have understandably raised expectations for more, especially at the Olympics, in front of a record-breaking home crowd.
However, many seem to have forgotten how disastrous the 2022 World Cup was, where France crashed out after just three days following losses to Canada and Latvia, finishing a humiliating 18th. Wembanyama's presence and individual class alone make a significant difference. Games like those against Brazil or Japan in recent days would likely have been lost by this team last year. Wemby is making France dream, and giving the home team a chance in every game, including the crucial match against Germany this Friday, and in the knockout phase starting next week in Paris. Collet hopes his team can reach its peak form by then. "The pressure is immense. But we want to use these games to hopefully play our best basketball in the quarterfinals."
In the context of the Olympic Games, the French basketball team is eagerly relying on Victor Wembanyama's extraordinary skills to help them achieve similar success as they had in Tokyo three years ago. Despite the team's challenges and the need for better synergies, Wemby's debut has been unbeaten so far, with impressive performances in both games, contributing significantly to their victories.
