If there's one thing Alquier cares more about than Wembanyama's sleep, it's his feet. Protecting the feet is vital for big men in the NBA, and there's perhaps few others on the planet with the type of long, arched and narrow Size 21 feet that Wembanyama has.
"We have unbelievable experience working on how to avoid stress [injuries], how to avoid them with those long feet," said Ndiaye, who has represented numerous French 7-footers during his career. "This is something that you have to work on. And we have been setting up a special program on Victor, on his feet these past three years. ... We have been working very specifically on his body to make him safer, and with a different approach."
Since he was 15, Wembanyama has been working to align his knees and learn how to land to soften the load. But his out-of-the-box techniques these days draw a crowd.
With shoes and socks off sitting on the floor, Alquier has him crawl on his fingertips and toes in an effort to strengthen his core. Then there is the big toe: Alquier spends a lot of time working on the big toes.
What does Victor Wembanyama's pregame stretching routine look like? Take a look at him prior to the Metropolitans 92 game against the G League Ignite on Oct. 6, 2022. Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images
He will put bands around each of Wembanyama's big toes and stretch them to create resistance. Wembanyama grimaces as he goes through the drill, pushing back to create tension.
"We do it to improve the stability of the body and to help warm up the legs," Alquier said. "You have a big pressure with the big toe, to push during the spring."
On off days, following his team practices and after he naps, Wembanyama spends two hours every evening with Alquier. Wembanyama uses weights but not for the direct purpose of slapping on pounds. Adding weight is a sensitive topic with Wembanyama and his advisers.
Wembanyama has a slight build, officially listed at 230 pounds, and it's already a discussion point for scouts who have watched him closely.
For some, it will be an automatic reaction to insist he needs more bulk once he arrives in the NBA. But it will not be a priority, and it is a nonnegotiable item for the Wembanyama camp.
It was backed up strongly after Wembanyama spent 10 days training in Germany last year with Holger Geschwindner, known for his decades of work with future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki. Geschwindner begged the French teen to ignore the coming calls for him to add too much weight because it might risk his career.
"The weight will come over time, you know, but the focus on weight is -- it's a mistake," Ndiaye said. "I'm 100 percent sure on that. If you put too much weight too quickly on Victor's body -- it's not going to last. For sure. He will be injury-prone."
Wembanyama has been eating five times a day for five years to help his muscles keep up with his bones. The plan is for him to gain strength but not necessarily gain a great deal of weight immediately.
"I don't see myself becoming, like, a really, really big guy," Wembanyama said.
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