Nicolas Batum reveals why he was shocked by 14-year-old Victor Wembanyama / News - Basketnews.com

Nicolas Batum has been monitoring Wembanyama for four years now.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Victor Wembanyamasent the NBA world into a frenzy with two monster performances against G League Ignite last week where he averaged 36.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks.

Los Angeles Clippers veteran forward Nicolas Batum, one of the leaders of the French men's basketball national team for over a decade, has been monitoring Wembanyama for four years now.

In a Q&A with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Batum provided insight on what to expect from the 18-year-old once he enters the NBA.

"The first time I remember seeing him was in late June of 2018, he was 14 years old. I heard about him a little bit before that but had never seen him live. I had a practice with the French national team in Paris and he was practicing after us. I saw him walking in and I'm like, 'This is the big kid I heard about a couple of weeks ago?' And one of the coaches said, 'Yeah. He's the new kid. He's supposed to be great and he's really tall.'

I said, 'No, he's not tall; he's different.' I saw him joking around with his friends and just being young. I saw him pick up the basketball and he started dribbling. I was shocked how he could handle the ball at that size. Then our coaches said it's time for us to get on the bus and I'm like, 'Go. Go. I'm staying. I'm going to check this kid out. Give me 15 minutes.'

"After watching him, I talked to Tony Parker because we're part owners of [French basketball team] ASVEL Basket. I said to Tony, 'Yo, I got the next one. I just saw the next one. I like everybody else, but this kid is insane. He's gonna be crazy good.' I've been following the kid since he was 14 years old, and I've had the opportunity to meet his family a couple of times. He's special," Batum told Yahoo Sports.

The Clippers player has no doubts that Wembanyama is going to be a world-class player.

"I'm not saying he's next for French basketball; he's next for basketball. As for French basketball, you had me, [Evan] Fournier, [Rudy] Gobert. But when I say next, I'm talking about the world of basketball. The buzz for him is similar to when Luka [Doncic] came in four years ago. It's kind of the same hype," Batum pointed out.

As stated by the 33-year-old veteran, Wembanyama is not only unique on the basketball hardcourt but also has a really great mindset for such a young age.

"We [French veterans] are there if he needs us. But he's not an ordinary 18-year-old. He's got a 25-year-old mindset."

"We haven't seen anything like this before, and we won't see anything after that. He's one of a kind. I don't think we will ever see anyone else that's a 7-foot-4 player waving people off, crossing them over, and hitting a fadeaway. The league is going to be in trouble for the next 15 years. I hope he's going to be the only player like this, because if there's more, my God, I'm retiring," Batum said.

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