Victor Wembanyama names most memorable moment from his France NT debut / News - Basketnews.com

Victor Wembanyama reacts to his France NT debut, naming the victory as the most memorable moment from the game.

Credit: Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS Credit Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS

Victor Wembanyama made his French national team (7-2) debut, and it couldn't get any better.

Player of the Game EFF 23 Victor Wembanyama Points 20 Accuracy 6-13 Rebounds 9 Assists 1

France achieved a convincing 90-65 victory against Lithuania (7-2), while his phone was heating because of congratulations messages from family and friends after the game.

Wembanyama accumulated 20 points (5/11 2PT, 1/2 3PT, 7/7 FT), 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, and 23 EFF in 23 minutes of play.

So, what's the most memorable moment of his debut?

"The dub, for sure. No hesitation, it's a no brainer," Wembanyama answered without much thinking during the post-game press conference.

"I'm really proud of what we did tonight," Wembanyama continued. "We were consistent throughout the game. Our biggest achievement tonight was not to let them come back [into the game]."

"We didn't give them anything. Honestly, I'm surprised that we were so responsible and calm with such a short period of time to prepare for these games. All of us had a lot of fun tonight," Wembanyama added.

Wembanyama played almost for the whole first quarter, but he started the game rather slow, scoring 4 points on a 2 for 5 shooting and losing the ball.

However, throughout the rest of the 13 minutes he spent on the court, the projected no. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft collected 16 points by dominating the paint and creating highlight after highlight.

Wembanyama emphasized that he didn't feel worried neither before nor during the game.

"I wasn't nervous at all. Just excited in the best way possible," Wembanyama talked about his emotions before the game. "I was really hungry to get the win tonight. I like to mentally prepare for a couple of hours before the game. I try to do other stuff like drawing, reading, and taking a nap. So, I could give 100% mentally for 5-6 hours."

France / Schedule

Lithuania France65-90 France Bosnia and HerzegovinaMon19:30

"Speaking of the turnovers, it happens almost every night. I didn't let it go to my mind. As I said, I know when to trust my teammates. A lot of the time, they do a big job. When you have such great people around, it's easy to get back into your game," added the 18-year-old.

France national team head coach Vincent Collet also praised Wembanyama for keeping his composure and making an impact on both ends of the floor.

"I think Victor entered the game very well because he didn't try to show anything special," Collet said. "He simply was himself, and it's enough [for him] to dominate the game. Our defense was very good, and it was very important. In the situations when we were in trouble, Victor made them [Lithuanian forwards] hesitate."

"In the second half, he dominated in the offense. He had 3-4 plays in a row where he was outstanding. But what's important is that he wanted to win, he thought about it first, and that's the most important thing," Collet added.

Wembanyama also sank all 7 free throws tonight. He began the season in the French league by attempting 7 free throws in the first three games.

The French mega talent was happy about such an improvement and emphasized the importance of it.

"Free throws are an important part of the game. Almost every great player has to be good at free throws," Wembanyama said. "I think the volume increased because I'm getting stronger every day. I can assign more, and refs notice that."

"If I stay strong in the paint, refs will see that defenders are coming. Especially in a game like tonight. I know damn well that the scouting report included hitting me hard and pushing me out of the paint. They fouled me a lot. If you back up, you won't get the calls," Wembanyama continued.

Asked about the Lithuanians' approach against him, the French star openly admitted that he didn't see anything new since he's facing similar competition in France.

"One thing I did pretty well tonight was trusting my teammates," Wembanyama said. "When defenders focus only on you, they can't think about the rest. They can't help in defense. It gives many open shots and favorable positions to my teammates. Sometimes I drifted away from the ball, so my teammates could play."

"That worked out pretty well in the second half. Overall, their defensive approach was pretty much the same as I receive in France. It [the approach] didn't change much. I'm used to being hit. As I said, this allowed me to go to the free-throw line. Soon, they will know it's a bad idea to foul me," Wembanyama concluded.

Victor Wembanyama highlights

Wembanyama's thoughts after the match:

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