Victor Wembanyama’s Paris Olympics act raised eyebrows! The 20-year-old, who is all set to step into his pro sophomore year, already has the league buzzing about him. Especially, after the Frenchman walks into the NBA, like nothing’s happened, after almost beating Team USA in the Gold medal game. Thanks to Steph Curry‘s heroics and LeBron James’ leadership, they’ve returned home with the highest honor. However, DeMar DeRozan uncovered an intriguing insight he believes about coach Greg Popovich.

Following the Tim Duncan era, Coach Pop’s Spurs have barely made any noise. Right when everyone thought the 75-year-old would retire before making an impact, his front office selected Wemby with the #1 pick. The 7 ‘4″ center won the ROTY award and the hoops universe already saw the coach-player bond brewing. While their bond helped Wembanyama ease into the NBA, did this advice-giving travel overseas? DeMar DeRozan is quite sure about Popovich’s influence in Wemby’s Olympics flurry against Team USA.

Even though LeBron James & Co. looked lethal in the Finals, the French side, at times, took the game away. Victor Wembanayama dropped a game-high 26 points with 7 rebounds on a losing (87-98) cause. Speaking about the Spurs center’s flurry in the Club 520 Podcast, DeRozan suspected, “The way he played in the Championship game. He’s still a kid. Bro. But I guarantee you, he (Wemby) was on the phone with Pop that night. Know what I mean, Pop, giving him some type of insider knowledge on how to carry that.” 

We can’t entirely deny the Sac Town star’s doubt! It’s definitely a justifiable skepticism. Before Steve Kerr took over Team USA’s business, it was Greg Popovich, who coached them. The seasoned mastermind has won two Golds and a bronze medal as ‘the man’. Even though Kerr adopts a different coaching style, Pop has watched him in closed quarters for all these years to drop the dime.

Although Greg Popovich’s insights, if offered at all, could not topple the Avengers, Victor Wembanyama has surely acquired a lot of reverence in the process. More than the respect, the young man seems to have planted fear. Further speaking in the pod, one of the hosts threw in words like “spooky” and “monster” to describe his recent team-up with Chris Paul. One more icon has already hailed the union.

Just days back, former Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett said that Chris Paul can play the role of a mentor for Wembanyama. “Last year, he [Wembanyama] didn’t get any easy baskets. Playing with Chris Paul, he’s going to get some easier baskets. Look for San Antonio to be more organized,” Garnett said. According to him, with Stephon Castle also in the mix, he might become the Spurs’ top asset. Paul has already laid the foundation for it.

Last week, Paul attended a voluntary, offseason training camp with the Spurs. As he got to know the nuances of his play closely for the first time, his compliments for the youngster were evident. “I don’t think he has a limit. He’s one of those guys that after the game this past year we talked about how weird it was to guard him,” Paul said of the Frenchman’s potential. DeMar DeRozan almost echoed the same.

The former Bulls forward narrated an experience where he was scared to make a lay-up even though Wemby was on the other side of the rim! The star added, “I just knew he had the recovery length to be able to fu–ing block whatever I throw up!” 

It’s not only just a 15-season experienced forward but also another veteran, who recently shared his experience playing against the young gun. Bulls center, Nikola Vucevic, said, “There were times when I got to the basket, made a move that worked against everyone, took the shot—and he just blocked it. You can’t see the hoop because of him!” With all these being said about Wembanyama, let us take a look at the skills that make Wemby a force to reckon with.

Victor Wembanyama is a feared man!

Apart from his height, Victor Wembanyama has a wingspan of 7’9″! These are complemented by his exceptional instincts, timing, and mobility, giving him an edge in rim protection or guarding in space. These help in recovery defense even if he is beaten. He hits the ball from the weak side or on the ball in the post and for some of those, he does not even need to jump.

He is almost like a goalkeeper protecting the basket, looming over any shot on the inside. Plus his block radius is staggering. For his build, he barely has to jump to generate a height of 10 feet and make even a 6’10” center look like a child!

While his height and wingspan might make some recall Rudy Gobert, his interior skills are more diverse. He has counter footwork to shake free operating back to the basket. He needs a few steps to get close to the rim and can bring out incredible tough-angled shots with either hand if he can’t get above the cylinder. This ability makes us recall one more legend.

According to the legends, Boston Celtics icon Larry Bird had played an entire game with his left hand. Reason? he had said that he was saving his right for the Los Angeles Lakers! However, in reality, Bird took about half of his shots with each hand which speaks volumes about his skills. While our intention is not to compare Wemby with Larry at this nascent stage of the former’s career, he seems capable of replicating the skill. In fact, we have support for this as well.

“I’ve seen him make five threes with the right hand in a row, switch to the left and make five threes. That’s the craziest s*** I had ever seen in my life,” Maxime Raynaud, who played with Wemby in France before taking his talents to Stanford, told Sports Illustrated‘s Jeremy Woo. Indeed, this makes him much tougher to guard. However, Wemby also comes with his set of problems.

He is, at times, too casual or ambitious with his passes. On some occasions, he force plays and gets caught without a plan or counter after making a move, leading to a turnover. His shooting reliability is also questionable on some occasions. Despite these, Wemby indeed demands special strategy form whichever team he faces. Can we see it grow multifold in the coming years? Let us know your predictions below.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.