“Got Too Much French”: Ex-Warriors Champion Makes Surprising Victor Wembanyama Comment After His Career-High Performance

Although the San Antonio Spurs just managed to squeeze out a narrow 112-111 win over the Dallas Mavericks this Wednesday, Victor Wembanyama’s staggering night will definitely go into his personal resume and make a strong case for the MVP conversation. However, Wemby’s career highs didn’t really impress former Golden State Warriors star Nick Young.

“I’m not impressed. Too much ‘oui-oui’ in him. He got too much French in him,” Young said on Gil’s Arena.

“It’s like when your momma forces you to go out and fight after you got hit. It’s like they’re forcing him to do that. He doesn’t want to do it...That’s what we're doing to Wemby. Like he just said, ‘It’s exhausting to do this all the time. I want to play outside and shoot threes.’”

Averaging 29.0 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists this season, the 7’2 Spurs forward racked up a career-high 52 points, 24 rebounds, and eight blocks against the Mavs. This makes him the first NBA player to score such a combination and the second player to post at least 50 points, 20 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a game since Bob McAdoo.

What makes the feat even more impressive is the taxing adjustments Victor Wembanyama had to make in his game. For an exceptional perimeter shooter of his caliber, 1-of-8 from the arc had to feel horrible. It could’ve caused a shooting slump or hesitant play for Wemby.

However, he changed his playstyle and continued attacking the basket, using the rare advantage of his physicality. The 22-year-old went 16-of-28 from the field, and 19-of-23 from the charity stripe, even if it was “exhausting” to play that way.

But none of these, per Young, holds major significance if the hunger, the drive, and the fire are missing. Sure, the 52 came because it had to. But had it been there because Victor Wembanyama wanted to play the way he did and cruise the Spurs to a victory, things would’ve felt different to Young.

At this point, it’s not about his capability to play, but the approach with which he dives into it.

“So, 52. If he could play like that, I would enjoy it,” Young added. “But he doesn’t want to play like that. It’s not in his DNA. He got too much, you know, crumpets and tea… He doesn’t want to be tough out there; he doesn’t want to take over.”

With the 82-game season unfolding rapidly, things are going to get even more unpredictable, demanding more exhausting plays from the top players of the league. Surely Victor Wembanyama makes the cut, but as Young said, the league will demand more toughness and dominance if a ring and an MVP award are the concern here.