Wembanyama’s height, which means he can almost grab the rim without even jumping, is of course a factor. But Collet, who made the teen his captain, added that Wembanyama also has a good engine which allows him to get up and down the court with ease.
“Victor has the same skills as a guard, but with a body of real big men,” he said, adding he had never coached a player with so much talent.
French sports journalist Erwan Abautret, who has covered Wembanyama since he was a youngster, agreed that he was a “phenomenon.”
Describing him as the “complete package,” Abautret said that as well as being good at fundamentals like shooting, passing and dribbling, Wembanyama had “the attitude too.”
“The main thing is he’s a leader,” he said, adding that in his last season with the Metropolitans Wembanyama had played with much older guys and talked to them like a father figure. When the team was struggling, he said Wembanyama had told them, “Let’s go, let’s stay together.”
Wembanyama will be hoping to emulate other European talents who have become leading stars in the NBA, such as reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo, both of whom have won recent titles.
Asked about his NBA future at a recent news conference, Wembanyama appeared humble.
“I’m living my dream right now and I hope I can share this with the maximum people I can, you know, and I wish I can give fans a bit of what I’m living right now, this fun,” he said.
And off the court, Collet said Wembanyama was well grounded.
Born in the Parisian suburb of Le Chesnay, his father, Felix Wembanyama, is a former field athlete and his mother, Elodie de Fautereau, is an ex-basketball player and now coach, according to Olympics.com.
His older sister Eve, 21, is also a hooper with Monaco and won gold with France at the FIBA U16 European championships in 2017. Scouts are also monitoring his younger brother Oscar, 16.
“He’s a very smart kid,” Collet said of Victor. “He’s often reading books.” He added that Wembanyama preferred “to read and learn,” rather than play computer games like some of his peers. “I think that’s one of the things that makes him special,” Collet said.
He added that it was unlikely that he’ll coach another player of Wembanyama’s caliber again.
“I am too close from being retired, so I don’t think I have a chance to live that a second time,” he said.
Henry Austin contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
