THE NBA PLAYERS THAT WE ARE THE MOST INTERESTED TO SEE IN 2024-25

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[Thomas] (12:53)
We're going to talk about Victor Wembanyama.
I want to talk about him quickly, after the Olympics.
As you know, the French team went far.
Victor's stats last year for his rookie season: 21 points, 10 rebounds, best blocker in the NBA with 3.6 blocks, etc.
What do you expect from Victor Wembanyama for his second year?
I'll even give you his record from last year:
- Rookie of the year
- All-defensive 1st Team (This is the first time that this has happened for a rookie)
- #2 DPOY (Rudy Gobert got #1)
- Best blocker in the NBA
We talked about the Spurs in another video, I want you to tell me about Victor.

[Erwan] (13:22)
Two things: All-Star. Best defender of the year.
Thank you, good evening. Over to you Arthur.

[Thomas] (13:27)
Alright. That's fine with me.

[Arthur] (13:29)
Same thing, but I have statistical expectations.
I want it to be in line with the super superstars and the best players in history, between season one and season two.
Lebron has a first season with 20 points, the second season he has 27-28 points.
KD is the same thing.
Luka is the same thing, first season 20 points, second season 28 points.
So already statistically I want him to be at..

[Thomas] (13:50)
To be at more than 25 points?

[Arthur] (13:51)
More than 25! I want him to be at 27.
Clearly I want him to be at 27.
You see the end of last season, he was able to go very high, but he still had a few games where it was a little hard.
I think he knows it anyway, he's the one who has the highest expectations of himself, he says it every time.
But I want him to have this statistical gap.
And then naturally the All-Star selection will come.
And then with a few more wins, the title of defender of the year should also be for him.
So I want this statistical gap, and for him to win a few more matches.
If that happens he will have the title of defender of the year. There you go.

[Thomas] (14:22)
Do you want to add something to that Erwan?

[Erwan] (14:23)
No, no. We've said it all.
Anyway, we love to talk about Victor but things are quite clear, quite simple.
We want him to continue to become the player he must become.
That's it, it's quite simple.

[Thomas] (14:31)
Absolutely.
Anyway there is this first year of learning. This extraordinary year.
The other day I rewatched some Victor's highlights, cause the NBA released a 30-minute video of all of Victor's highlights.
In his rookie season, he's already almost among the best highlights I've ever seen in the history of the NBA.
With the number of blocks, dunks... Well I'm not going to tell you anything new, Victor is an extraordinary player.
And we also have to make the link with last summer, what just happened with the French team.
He learned at high speed, in his head, mentally.
We often said this summer that he acted his age at times, he was moved, etc.
The French team treated us.
Victor hasn't always been very very good, but you like to say that his floor is very very high.
Well in a different context, when he finds the momentum of the NBA, the dimensions of the NBA court, it's sure that he's going to tear it all up in season two.
If his shot, which is already very much in place, continues to get better, and get not so far from 37%, 38%, even 40%, let's be crazy, well the 27 points per game would be easily possible.

[Erwan] (15:35)
I think that in FIBA ​​he learned "the toast", when I say "the toast" I mean the fight, the toughness.
I think that now he comes out of the Olympic games with a weapon that he did not have.
When we talked about Victor we used to say "he dribbles, he passes, he shoots, he feels the game, he is elegant, he counters" but we never said "he likes the toast".
Now.. well he doesn't like it too much still, but now with what he's experienced during the FIBA games, he has to be saying to himself that this is a weapon that he can put in the NBA. He's too smart not to think about it.
Because sometimes in the NBA players aren't so tough.
And all the tough centers, Jokić, Embiid, well they over-dominate.

[Thomas] (16:08)
Absolutely.
And the last thing I want to see out of Victor is the birth of a go-to-move.
I know he doesn't want to, I know he wants to do everything. I think he can do everything.
But still, it's the reality of the very high level of the NBA, when I think of Lebron, when I think of KD, ...
It's LaMarcus Aldridge who spoke perfectly about it.
LaMarcus Aldridge has never scored a layup in his life.
He's only done turnarounds, on his left, mid-range, left axis. All his life.
And the guy is a multiple All-Star and at one point the best power forward in the NBA.
Victor can do absolutely everything but for him to be at 27 points per game, at some point there will have to be an action that we see 4 or 5 times per game that allows him to score 10 easy points and provoke the block.

[Erwan] (16:43)
I pretty much agree with that.

[Arthur] (16:45)
Or go get his free throws.

[Thomas] (16:46)
That's it, exactly.
I don't know yet what his go-to-move is today.

[Erwan] (16:49)
You've been saying it since the Mets, it's true, you're right.
[Mets = the Metropolitans 92, Victor's team for the 2022-23 season]

[Thomas] (16:50)
Absolutely. That's the logic of the very great players.

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FYI in the rest of the video they talk about,
- Paul George + Joel Embiid : Is this association going to work?
- Damian Lillard + Giannis Antetokounmpo : What will the second year of this duo look like?