The Paris Olympics are drawing near, with countries worldwide gearing up their top basketball players for a shot at the gold medal in August. San Antonio Spurs fans may find themselves backing another contender, France, led by their 7-foot-3 star Victor Wembanyama. The French national team recently faced Turkey in an exhibition game on Wednesday as part of their preparations for the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics.
France came out with guns blazing with a convincing 96-46 victory over Turkey. Wembanyama showed his NBA-season form with an impressive performance.
The Spurs prodigy was everywhere scoring 24 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, snatching 2 steals, blocking 3 shots, and dishing out 4 assists, shooting 10-14 from the field in only 20 minutes of play. Wembanyama led the game with a remarkable +44 plus-minus while on the court.
France demonstrated excellent team cohesion, recording 18 assists and surged to a 22-point halftime lead.
France's twin towers
Les Bleus deployed a twin tower combination featuring Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. Initial concerns about how they would mesh offensively were swiftly dispelled.
The high-low game between Wembanyama and Gobert proved to be highly effective and difficult for opponents to defend against. Both players showcased their abilities as finishers and passers. With their blend of size and skill, France is poised to excel with them on the court.
France's defensive duo of Gobert and Wembanyama was insurmountable for Turkey. Gobert, last season's Defensive Player of the Year, and Wembanyama, the runner-up, anchored the paint effectively, allowing France's guards to apply aggressive pressure on defense.
The French national team limited Turkey to just 11 made field goals throughout the game. France's defense also forced Turkey into committing 19 turnovers.
Turkey struggled immensely when Victor Wembanyama was on the floor, managing just one made field goal out of 24 attempts. Wemby’s defensive presence significantly disrupted Turkey's momentum.
Wembanyama showing promise with international competition
Wembanyama showcased his defensive prowess with a blocked three-pointer and contributed offensively with several impressive lobs and a solid 50% shooting accuracy from beyond the arc (2-4). He demonstrated versatility by accelerating transitions with adept ball handling, applying full-court defensive pressure on guards, and executing smooth post plays.
France's offensive strategy centers on getting the ball to their 7-footers in the paint and relying on ball movement. The guards frequently targeted Victor Wembanyama, connecting with him for several lob passes during the game.
Turkey did not feature any NBA players this offseason, as Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengün is still recovering from an ankle sprain that sidelined him for much of last season.
The evening also saw Bilal Coulibaly make his debut, with Isaïa Cordinier in the shooting guard position and Matthew Strazel handling point guard duties.
With France’s recent performance, it seems like they are one of the teams that could give Team USA a run for their money. The United States Men’s Basketball team features big-time superstars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis to name a few.
France has four more exhibition games scheduled before the Olympics begin in late July. Their next game is against Germany on July 8 at 2 p.m. CT, with all matches available for streaming on NBA.com.
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