Wembanyama was shocked to discover a truth that made many people sad: “Americans hate…

Victor Wembanyama sous le maillot des Spurs

If Victor Wembanyama has already had several big performances to his credit since the start of the season, he still has a lot of trouble achieving unanimous support in the United States.

However, it would not necessarily be his fault according to certain Internet users, who assume that his nature as an international player would in fact be the real heart of the problem…

For the moment, Victor Wembanyama is far from getting everyone to agree.

Since the French pivot was already considered a potential legend even before his NBA draft, expectations towards him are high and the criticism even more virulent.

His start to the season on alternating current really divides minds, even when he drops something never seen before like against the Nuggets.

At the heart of his ultra-provided stats line, we find in particular a crazy presence in defense since Wemby signed no less than six interceptions and four blocks against Nikola Jokic and others.

Moreover, this is not his first attempt since he has multiplied his exploits in this sector since the start of the campaign.

It’s quite simple, no one has accumulated more “stocks” than him in 2023-24, not even the superstars.

Wembanyama ultra-productive on defense in his NBA debut

 

Most blocks and interceptions combined this season:

67 – Victor Wembanyama
66 – Brook Lopez and Anthony Davis (stats adjusted after his match against the Sixers, editor’s note)

Wemby is the only player with more than 20 steals and 25 blocks this season. He signed 45 blocks.

Let’s forget for a moment the excessive expectations around V and remember here that he is a player of only 19 years old.

If San Antonio only has the 28th defensive rating in the league, it would be even worse without the French big man to control the racket. However, many people continue to criticize him… which leads some to think that the fault lies with the American fans.

But NBA fans swear he’s overrated. American fans hate young foreign players and we need to talk about it.

Wemby does statpadding

That doesn’t explain everything, but it’s unfortunately a fact:

NBA fans in the United States tend to be much more critical of international players and this also concerns some journalists.

It is doubtful, however, whether this will matter to Victor Wembanyama, who is solely focused on his and Spurs’ progress.