BASKETBALL Expected as the 8th wonder of the world, the French giant confirms for the moment its enormous potential but also the extent of the road that remains to be covered with San Antonio, a young team in full reconstruction

Frenchman Victor Wembanyama completes a furious dunk on Jabari Smith Jr on October 27, 2023 during the Spurs’ victory against the Rockets. — Eric Gay/AP/SIPA”

From our correspondent in the United States

“A generational talent”, “an alien”, “the greatest potential since LeBron James”, “the future of the NBA”… For a year, superlatives and hyperboles have accompanied every step of Victor Wembanyama. And after almost three weeks on the court, the American media – and basketball fans – continue to scrutinize every match of the French prodigy who “ignores all that with incredible maturity at 19”, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich recently welcomed. . Wemby, for his part, does not ignite, even after his 38 points slammed against the Sun of his idol Kevin Durant. And don’t panic after disasters against the Clippers and the Knicks, and a series of five consecutive defeats, the last of which this Sunday evening against Miami (113-118).

“I’ll leave you, I don’t want to miss Victor during the warm-up.” With his Tim Duncan jersey on his shoulders, Michael, “a Spurs fan since 1998”, would undoubtedly not have braved the Los Angeles traffic jams to come see a match between the Clippers and San Antonio last year, when his Heart team finished last in the Western Conference. But the draft lottery and a 2m23 giant changed all that. “To see someone that big move so fluidly is just crazy. Wembanyama is smart, he puts the team first, it’s a good fit for Spurs. He sometimes looked a little lost during the match but in the last quarter he demanded the ball. It’s a closer.”

Wembanyama’s statistics from his last match with Spurs – Sofascore/20 minutes

French expats present

In the press room located in the basement of the old Staples Center, which the real Angelinos still refuse to call “Crypto.com Arena”, American journalists debate the Spurs’ chances of qualifying for the playoffs. The consensus: it will be complicated this year for the youngest team in the league, with Wemby (19 years old), Sochan (20 years old), Vassel (23 years old) and Johnson (24 years old). After all, king LeBron James and Kevin Durant had to wait until their 3rd NBA season to taste the post-season.

In an elevator, a family chats in French. “We couldn’t pass up this opportunity to see Wembanyama play. Plus, tickets started at $35. In January, when the Spurs return against the Lakers, it will be almost triple,” explains the father. Because that’s also the expat life: we stay connected to the motherland through good food and sport, from the football or rugby World Cups to the exploits of our Frenchies in the NBA.

Unfortunately for this family and the students from the Lycée français de LA who made the trip, Wembanyama had a catastrophic start to the match. After two missed baskets and two lost balls in a few minutes, “Pop” calls for a timeout and takes the Frenchman out. Who finished with as many turnovers as points (4) at the break. The butchery continues and San Antonio takes a suitcase of 40 points. “The Clippers were too much for Wembanyama and the Spurs,” headlines the LA Times. The Frenchman does not hide at a press conference:

Youth is not an excuse, we will have to watch the match again to try to understand. It’s a story of perseverance. It’s just a defeat, it’s only the start of the season, we’re learning. In the locker room, no one had their heads down. We’re going to get back to our work. »

Alongside Shaquille O’Neal and David Robinson

But if this team is young, it also has pride. The Spurs respond on the Phoenix floor and give the Sun nightmares for Halloween, with a victory on the buzzer after being 20 points behind. The hero of the match was winger Keldon Johnson with 27 points, including the last basket after snatching the ball from Durant’s hands. But it’s Wembanyama’s “dunk poster” on poor Eubanks that’s playing endlessly on ESPN and the networks.

Two days later, the Frenchman signed his first benchmark performance, again against Phoenix: 38 points, with 15 of 26 shooting, and ten rebounds. Wembanyama is the first rookie since Shaquille O’Neal with more than 100 points and 10 blocks in his first five games. And among the Spurs, only David Robinson scored more than 38 points in his first season. Two references that are over 30 years old.

“I don’t see anyone like him in the NBA. I know we’re both tall and skinny, I know he looked at me