If there’s someone who can author a book on Victor Wembanyama’s potential, it’s Gilbert Arenas. But he sort of slowed down the Wemby hype-train after the Olympics. He couldn’t win gold in his Olympic debut, but everyone certainly took notice of how he carried the French team to the finals. With that much development after his rookie NBA season, Wemby had enough confidence to take on opponents in the league, Olympics, FIBA, ‘anywhere’. Arenas said for him to truly be that threat, further adding how he needs to look at the vets for inspiration.

It came after the 20-year-old told The San Antonio Express News, “I’m learning, and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple of years,” Wembanyama said. When the outlet’s Mike Finger asked if he meant in the NBA or FIBA, Wemby had a killer response. “Everywhere.”

As much as it sounded like a mic-drop when this came up on Gil’s Arena, Agent Zero said that Wemby is “not necessarily” a threat yet. Yet being the operating term. “Defensively he’s going to be a problem, like we already can see that,” the 3x All-Star cushioned his opinion with before adding, “Offensively he’s still so raw and it’s going to take him a couple years to like to identify with what he’s going to kill the NBA with.”

While it’s also not necessary for every outstanding player to have a signature trait, Arenas is not wrong. And he also sees there’s plenty of inspiration around Wemby. “Like KD and his mid-range, Steph and his three.”

Not surprisingly, Wemby agrees. Kevin Durant was the bona fide hero of the Paris Olympics. He was amazing enough that the French star told a local outlet he’d like to “steal one or two of his [Durant] secret techniques.” 

This is Gil’s constructive complimenting, if that was a thing. Moreover, he’s nowhere near critical. Arenas simply believes that the reigning ROTY is bursting with so much talent that he needs to narrow down and develop what would make him lethal. He’d need a couple of years for that, but when he does, the 2028 Olympics might be a different story.

Gilbert Arenas also warned Team USA

Arenas has always been vocal about Wemby being a generational talent. However, another thing Wemby needs to succeed, according to Gil, is a strong team around him. And he’s not referring to the Spurs.

By the time the next Olympics are held in Los Angeles, Wemby will be 24 and definitely more improved. Moreover, France could have Zaccharie Risacher, the first overall draft pick of the Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Wizards’ Alex Sarr. There’s also Tidjane Salaun who was a top 10 draft pick this year.

The surge of young raw talent from France in the NBA prompted Arenas to claim, “If I’m the US, I’m worried for 2028.” Do you also think France now stands in the way of Team USA’s gold streak?