Wembanyama and Gobert to anchor Les Bleus’ defense
Standing 7-foot-4 (2.24m) with an 8-foot (2.43m) wingspan, Wembanyama is a defensive monster, as evidenced by his staggering numbers from his Rookie of the Year NBA season:
- 254 blocks (1st in the NBA)
- 3.6 blocks per game (1st in the NBA)
- 205 deflections (top 10)
- 8.4 defensive rebounds per game (top 10)
- 594 total defensive rebounds (top 10)
The 20-year-old became the first rookie to make First Team All-Defense and finished second in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year, with his compatriot Rudy Gobert claiming his fourth DPOY award.
With both players named to France’s preliminary Olympic squad and widely tipped to make the final 12-man roster, France will have arguably the best defensive frontcourt at the Games. However, it’s still unclear if Gobert and Wembanyama will share the court at the same time, given they play the same position. Wembanyama didn’t play at the World Cup last year, and is much more of an offensive threat than Gobert. But Gobert did start alongside the 7-foot (2.13m) Karl Anthony-Towns for the Minnesota Timberwolves throughout the 2023-24 NBA season, and that formula led the Wolves to their best finish in years as they reached the Western Conference finals.
Additionally, head coach Vincent Collet reportedly had planned to start the pair alongside the 7-foot (2.13m) Joel Embiid in Paris before Embiid committed to represent the USA at the Games.
So don’t be surprised to see Collet run out both big men as part of France’s starting five during their group games. For the defensive purists, it could be a match made in heaven.