What French phenom Victor Wembenyama is doing right now and what his legendary mentor and coach Gregg Popovich are doing together deserves some praise. Here’s why:

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credit:marca.com

Victor Wembenyama, in his rookie year, is averaging 20.6 points. 10.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and leading the league with 3.2 blocks, shooting 46% from the field in his rookie year (as of February 3, 2024). When you look at these numbers, you think to yourself, "Wow, these are great numbers. He must have played all of his games in full and is easily the rookie of the year,” and the answer to both of those questions is no. Wembanyama is averaging only 28.6 minutes a game, which is the 4th most for a rookie, and 100 most in the NBA though most all-stars average 33-37. Wemby could easily win rookie of the year by a landslide and even defensive player of the year,

 

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credit:Sports illustrated

though. Popovich having him on a minute restriction is perfect for his career and future in the NBA. The NBA is a tough league with many players losing their careers due to injuries, especially if you are 7’4 and 210 lbs. I mean, look at Chet, a player 3 inches shorter than him and of the same weight who had a season-ending injury last year. Having Popovich as head coach is perfect for the development of Wemby, a veteran who has been in the league for 27 years and has won five championships.

 

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credit:Usa today

Where Popovich can implement his lessons for a generational superstar like Wemby, but let’s get back to Wemby, what he is doing on a team like this is mental, and even more mental, he is exceeding his pre-draft expectations. They were psychotic at the time, talking about him having the greatest player of all time potential. With Wemby having more blocks and steals combined in 42 games than Rudy Gobert did through the whole season to win DPoY in 2018, and so far he’s on pace if Popovihc Slowly increases his minutes through His Career, he can be up there with the greats, and while I talk about Wemby, it's truly amazing the level of talent not just in the NBA but in the NFL with players like CJ Stroud, Aidan Hutchinson, Joe burrow, Kyle Hamilton, Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, and in the NHL with Connor Bedard.

 

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credit: the hockey news

Cole Makar and Connor McDavid, as well as the NBA with Wemby, Jaime Jaquez, Paolo Banchero, Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgreen Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and so many more,

 

It's safe to say how blessed we are with the young talents in American sports, and the future of sports looks to be in great hands for the next decade or so. What Wembenyama is doing is looking better than rookie Lebron James. I’m not saying anything but let the numbers do the talking. Thanks for reading, and leave a comment down below to tell me what you think.