“He stopped the ball too much!” Victor Wembanyama catches heat from France coach after upsetting loss to Germany
Team France head coach Vincent Collet blasts his star player Victor Wembanyama despite scoring 14 points against Team Germany.
Vincent Collet and Victor Wembanyama (Image Credits: Eurosport and AP News)
France’s men’s basketball team suffered a shocking loss to Team Germany at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with NBA star Victor Wembanyama mainly at fault. Notably, Team France’s head coach Vincent Collet was upset with his side’s performance, especially with the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year’s performance against Germany, which cost them the match.
After the match, Collet claimed that Wembanyama “stopped the ball too much” and his game against Germany’s aggressiveness did not work out. Collet also claimed that “there was no space to operate” due to their opposition’s approach towards his side, which made the 1-on-1 dribbling tough for them, which saw Team France lose in their home.
He stopped the ball too much. Against that kind of aggressiveness, you can’t play that way. You are never 1-on-1 because they come to double team and there’s no space to operate. It’s important to move the ball.Vincent Collet in the post-match press conference
In addition, Wembanyama was one of the most crucial players against Japan but did not perform the same against Germany in his most recent matchup.
Wembanyama entered this tournament with high hopes for himself and his nation. This is not surprising given that he was the previous No. 1 overall choice and the undisputed Rookie of the Year. In addition, Wembanyama, along with Nicolas Batum, Rudy Gobert, and Evan Fournier, had an opportunity to lead his team to victory this summer but got a reality check against the tough Germans. It will now be interesting to watch how Wembanyama and Co. bounce back from this latest setback at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Rudy Gobert did not come to teammate Victor Wembanyama’s aid in the loss to Germany
The home side, France’s men’s basketball team was humbled 71-85 by the aggressive Team Germany at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now, Team Germany leads in the group stage. Notably, NBA sensation Victor Wembanyama took heavy criticism from his head coach for his attacking gameplay. Despite scoring 14 points, Wembanyama could not see out a win for his side.
It is important to note that, Wembanyama received no support from his teammate Rudy Gobert and the whole French roster. Wembanyama was the only player on the French side to cross the 10-point mark. On the other hand, Gobert scored only 4 points and surprisingly got away with it. This loss might have alerted the French side that a lot of work has to be put in if they were to secure Gold at the Paris Olympics.
Interestingly, Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner both scored 26 points to lead Germany to victory. The Germans started the game with a lot of aggression and kept it that way throughout the 4 quarters, not allowing France to settle down. With the competition being fiercer than ever, it will be intriguing to see who takes home the adorned Gold medal in basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
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Kartik Mudaliar
(876 Articles Published)