The start of a new era for French basketball hit a speed bump in Belgrade. Victor Wembanyama, newly minted as the youngest captain of France’s national team in 23 years, stepped onto the court at a packed Belgrade Arena, looking to assert his leadership in what was an international friendly match. With Nikola Jokic on the other side, it had the feel of an NBA playoff matchup that has not happened yet. But the San Antonio Spurs superstar found himself once again operating in the shadow of the Denver Nuggets icon.
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Jokic put on an absolute masterclass by scoring twenty points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in 29 minutes to guide Serbia to a 90–87 victory. Meanwhile, Wemby struggled mightily in his debut as Les Bleus skipper. The 22-year-old finished with just 10 points and turned the ball over six times in 24 minutes, shooting an abysmal 1-of-6 from 3-point territory.
The outing continued an ominous trend for Wemby. Across their seven head-to-head meetings in the NBA, Jokic has routinely schooled the young prodigy in the big man arts, averaging a staggering 37.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 9.1 assists.
Nikola Jokić had 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists in 29 minutes in Serbia's win over France today. Victor Wembanyama had 10 points and 6 turnovers. In the 7 times Jokić has faced Wembanyama in the NBA, he's averaged 37.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 Show more
The breaking point arrived late in the game. Serbia carried a 72-62 cushion into the fourth and pushed it out to 12 with just over three minutes on the clock, looking well in control before France answered with a late push that trimmed the gap back down to three. The chance to tie it fell to Wembanyama, but his step-back three to level the score never had a chance, as he missed a potential game-tying shot, and Serbia shut the door at the free-throw line.
It didn’t take long for social media to erupt with harsh criticism targeting Wemby’s late-game decision-making and questionable shot selection under pressure. Fans tore into the young big man for attempting to play like a perimeter scorer down the stretch rather than utilizing his generational size inside against Serbia’s frontline.
One frustrated fan posted, “wemby choked in the clutch again😭😭😭😭😭😭😭”
Another mocked his tendency to not play like a big man. “Somebody tell him he ain’t Kd.”
Expanding on that critique, a fan urged Wembanyama to play to his height advantages. “Dawg you’re not kd, just drive, these Serbian mfs are like 5″4.”
For many, this was a reminder of The Joker’s raw talent, in case Denver’s elimination by Minnesota this past season made us temporarily forget.
“Shocker one of the best players ever schools young star… is that hard for people to comprehend.”
The biggest takeaway was the sheer level of competitiveness that both Jokic and Wemby brought, to the point that fans had to remind themselves, “It was a friendly…”
Some defenders preached long-term patience for the 22-year-old phenom by posting, “kobe choked at the start, kid is only 22, u’ll be his biggest fan in 5 yrs.”
Calling Wemby a “unique” player, Jokic validated this fan’s comment while speaking to the media ahead of the game. “He has the opportunity to be the most unique basketball player we’ve ever seen – to be the best ever.”
While Wembanyama admitted post-game that he felt “rusty” adjusting back to FIBA play, he will get an immediate shot at redemption when France hosts Serbia for a rematch in Orléans before official World Cup qualifying matches begin.