Victor Wembanyama breaks down France’s 2024 NBA draft prospects

Victor Wembanyama was keen to do no matter his coaches requested. However he definitely had his desire.

Wembanyama was nonetheless on a minutes restriction and had been sitting out the second recreation of back-to-back units after taking part in the primary evening. However this was completely different.

The San Antonio Spurs have been in the course of a five-game highway journey and set to face the Charlotte Hornets on a Friday evening, with a go to to the nation’s capital to tackle Washington Wizards the next evening. Of the 2, it was the Wizards recreation that was really particular for Wembanyama, and the one he needed to play, due to who he’d be going through.

Wembanyama, the No. 1 general decide within the 2023 NBA draft, and Wizards rookie Bilal Coulibaly, the No. 8 choice, had been buddies lengthy earlier than they have been teammates final season within the French Professional A League with Mets 92.

After lacking one another in the summertime league as a result of Wembanyama performed solely the Spurs’ first two video games, this was set to be their first matchup towards each other. All that wanted to occur was for Wembanyama to sit down towards Charlotte.

As soon as he came upon his coaches have been letting him play towards Coulibaly, the importance of the second set in.

“On the time [when we were kids], it was simply goals and one thing loopy,” Wembanyama stated. “However we each occurred to make it right here and I am simply so happy with him. It will really feel bizarre for certain.”

On a chilly evening in Washington on Jan. 20, the 2 squared off, with Wembanyama’s Spurs coming from behind late to defeat Coulibaly’s Wizards 131-127.

It wasn’t till the 1:36 mark within the third quarter that the 2 shared the court docket. Coulibaly rapidly obtained the higher of his countryman by blocking an alley-oop try.

Through the postgame information convention, Coulibaly needed to verify the field rating on the desk to verify he was credited with the block.

“That is simply what I needed,” Coulibaly stated. “I needed to dunk on him however that was a little bit a lot. I had the block, so I am pleased with that.”

When the ultimate buzzer sounded, Wembanyama and Coulibaly met at half court docket and exchanged jerseys. It was solely the second jersey swap Wembanyama had this season — the primary was with fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert.

Wembanyama, Coulibaly and Gobert are simply three of a file 14 gamers who symbolize France within the NBA this season, in accordance with the league. 5 are rookies (Wembanyama, Coulibaly, Portland’s Rayan Rupert, Detroit’s Malcolm Cazalon and San Antonio’s Sidy Cissoko) and two debuted final season (Oklahoma Metropolis’s Ousmane Dieng and the Clippers’ Moussa Diabate).

Their ranks will develop quickly.

The most recent 2024 NBA mock draft from ESPN draft specialists Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo has 4 French gamers projected to go in Spherical 1, together with the highest two picks and three of the primary six. “Are you able to imagine it?,” Wembanyama informed ESPN. “I do not assume any nation however the USA, in fact, has achieved that earlier than.”

“That will be loopy. That will be a press release like by no means earlier than. It might imply so much.” There has by no means been an NBA draft the place worldwide gamers have been taken with the highest two choices, not to mention two from the identical nation.

Wembanyama and Coulibaly met once more Monday evening. This time it was Coulibaly’s Wizards who got here from behind to get a 118-113 win, spoiling an opportunity for Wembanyama to win three consecutive video games towards French opponents. The Spurs defeated Rupert and the Blazers on Friday and Gobert and the Timberwolves on Saturday.

They usually weren’t the one French illustration in San Antonio. Boris Diaw, who gained a title with the Spurs in 2014 and now serves as the overall supervisor of the French nationwide staff, took benefit of the three-game swing to pay a go to, together with France head coach Vincent Collet and different nationwide staff staffers. Diaw even took half in some 3-on-3 motion at Spurs’ shootaround on Monday morning.

Within the coming years, with an inflow of expertise from France on the way in which, there will likely be extra of those visits for Wembanyama.

“It feels nice that lastly we have now extra recognition now. Everybody on the planet needs to style the product, the French product,” Wembanyama stated with amusing. “So I am glad that is taking place. We obtained a lot expertise over.”

Wembanyama stated he has had an opportunity to spend time with every of France’s 4 potential 2024 first-round picks and has gotten to know them a little bit. Just lately, he sat down with ESPN and shared his ideas on all 4.

Alex Sarr | Perth Wildcats | PF/C | Age: 18.7

Sarr, whose older brother, Olivier, is on a two-way contract with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and has appeared in 41 video games with the franchise over the previous three seasons, has performed in many various locations early in his younger profession.

The youthful Sarr joined Actual Madrid’s youth staff in 2019 for 2 seasons after which performed within the Extra time Elite league from 2021 to ’23. Sarr then signed on to play within the NBL’s Subsequent Stars program and joined Perth.

In 19 video games this season, Sarr is averaging 9.1 factors and 4.2 rebounds.

“Alex, it struck me after I first noticed him, it was in 2020,” Wembanyama stated. “I did not know him in any respect. I by no means heard of him. And he was only a loopy expertise. And you could possibly see that he was keen to get higher and to win, however on the time it felt like he did not know actually himself, the right way to play and the right way to use his physique.

“And now, I imply, he is simply been getting higher and higher through the years. Nice expertise. And he is had such an unconventional path as properly. He has been everywhere in the world.”

Wembanyama and Sarr by no means had the possibility to play collectively, however the Spurs rookie stated they performed towards one another at a camp as soon as.

Zaccharie Risacher | JL Bourg | SF | Age: 18.7

Earlier than Wembanyama joined Metropolitans 92, he performed for one more French league staff, ASVEL.

When Wembanyama was there, Risacher was getting began with the staff’s youth program.

“I obtained to spend a little bit little bit of time with him,” Wembanyama stated. “And we have been each actually younger on the time, however again then even generally he practiced with us and he was simply performing some loopy issues by way of expertise. He is undoubtedly up there in that draft class. I in all probability do not know anyone extra gifted than him on this draft class.”

Woo just lately outlined Risacher’s possibilities to go No. 1. And Wembanyama believes in him as properly.

“And he is simply throughout,” Wembanyama stated. “He can do just about the whole lot. He is very lengthy, can block numerous photographs and offensively he can simply let him do his factor. He is had the possibility to have knowledgeable begin like only a few do. I imply, in Europe, only a few gamers can get from the youth applications to the skilled, and he is certainly one of them and he is truly dominating this yr. He was an all-star in France. So yeah, I imply, it is all going properly up to now. I am happy with what he is doing.”

Tidjane Salaun | Cholet | PF | Age: 18.4

Salaun is without doubt one of the prospects Wembanyama has recognized the longest. They met in 2017 as a result of each of their sisters — Janelle Salaun and Eve Wembanyama — have been on the U16 nationwide staff, together with Rupert’s sister, Iliana, who went on to be the No. 12 choice within the 2022 WNBA draft and was part of the Las Vegas Aces’ 2022 championship staff earlier than taking part in final season with the Atlanta Dream.

“That was enjoyable. We have been youngsters on the time, so we have been simply taking part in round in a playground, taking pictures some photographs,” Wembanyama stated. “So all three of our sisters have been on this staff. Yeah, so our households know one another. We spent a while collectively.”

Salaun started taking part in with Cholet’s senior staff this season and has struggled to get his shot to fall at occasions. However Wembanyama is satisfied he’ll get higher with time.

“I am glad that he is lastly getting some skilled time, skilled performances,” Wembanyama stated. “His work ethic and can to get higher are simply up there. I additionally spent a little bit little bit of time in the summertime of 2022 with him figuring out. I can belief this man to get higher and to work out like loopy.”

Melvin Ajinca | Saint Quentin | SG/SF | Age: 19.5

Wembanyama’s ties with Ajinca go even additional again than his ties with Salaun.

“I feel I’ve recognized him for nearly 10 years now,” Wembanyama stated. “I wasn’t older than 11 after I performed towards him for the primary time.”

Ajinca was teammates with Wembanyama’s present Spurs teammate Sidy Cissoko, and Wembanyama remembered taking part in towards each at a younger age.

“They have been beating us fairly usually, however we have been beating them as a lot or greater than they have been beating us, but it surely was all the time a battle,” Wembanyama stated.

Ajinca, whose cousin Alexis Ajinca performed seven seasons within the NBA, made a bounce final summer time when he grew to become the second-leading scorer on France’s U19 staff and jumped up draft boards.

“He is all the time been [among] the very best abilities of our era and in some unspecified time in the future, I do not know what occurred, however he simply obtained completely jacked and he began leaping out of the constructing,” Wembanyama stated. “The one factor he did completely different than anybody on the time was making photographs. He was making powerful photographs, and he had a dependable shot for a very long time.

“I feel he was a stunning prospect as a result of he is now on the skilled degree when guys who have been at first sight extra gifted than him have completely disappeared, and he is nonetheless there. And I am glad to see a man I spent a lot time with and grew up taking part in towards, I am glad to see a man like this being near the league now.”

As a result of Ajinca is barely older than the opposite prospects, Wembanyama does have some expertise taking part in with him. The 2 spent a camp collectively taking part in towards the nationwide staff as part of the prolonged staff introduced in and likewise performed on a regional choice staff the place they gained a nationwide championship collectively.

So what does it say in regards to the state of French basketball now that there is a bevy of prospects — together with Pacome Dadiet, the No. 47 prospect within the ESPN draft rankings — making a reputation for themselves?

“I imply, it simply makes me completely satisfied,” Wembanyama stated. “From my viewpoint, It feels bizarre as a result of, I imply, to start with, even only a couple months again, the NBA was nonetheless a dream for me. Rising up, I by no means thought I might meet these guys once more and play towards them [for] a few years in the very best league on the planet. I simply really feel very happy with them, and it is unbelievable.

“I feel it’ll really feel bizarre after I’m taking part in towards them.”