Official 2024 Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament Thread

[scott]

Wasn't able to watch, because the game was at 6a here - but how much of Wemby's performance was due to Brooks? That just just has Vic's number it seems.

[LeBowen]

Wasn't able to watch, because the game was at 6a here - but how much of Wemby's performance was due to Brooks? That just just has Vic's number it seems.

Not much.
Canada was focused on shutting Wemby down and he barely got the ball inside. When he did get it, he had to pass it back out right away, did well in that department.
Brooks stopped him from isoing on the perimeter a couple of times, but that's it.
Actually amazing that France won with Wemby having just 4 2pt FGA. The only issue was that he couldn't make any of his 3pts, other than that he had a good game.


Btw, watching Jokic and then Murray...he should be giving half of his paycheck to Jokic for the rest of their careers.
I'd say noone profited from a teammate more since Capela making a fortune thanks to Harden.

[spurraider21]

That's strange because everyone else on the team is awful besides Wemby and Batum and they have an awful coach.

i do think their coach is pretty bad tbh. their offense was pretty aimless in the second half, which is most of what i watched. a lot of dribbling around and just passing the ball around the perimeter with no obvious plan or purpose to create openings. a lot of end of shot clock grenades. the failure to play gobert when wemby was on the bench, particularly in a game where they werent sharing the floor was also baffling.

[Pauleta14]

Fournier sorry to have been a doubter

He pisses me off as well but the rest is sooo bad

At least there's always hope him his hero ball

[JPB]

Canada game planning against Wemby and daring his teammates to win, which they did with Yabusele, Cordinier and Fournier stepping up. That's FIBA BB for you, can't do that kind of things You're always a couple role players getting hot on 3 away to get ousted.

Wemby not shooting well but best rebounder/passer/stealer of the team and anchoring a defense that hold Canada an its NBA scorers to 73 points. They're not favorites but if Vic can get going offensively, France may have a chance vs. Germany.

[onechance87]

Wasn't able to watch, because the game was at 6a here - but how much of Wemby's performance was due to Brooks? That just just has Vic's number it seems.

wemby needs to put on weight period.No way a 6,7 guard should effect his game this much.There was another guy on france team who weighs
more but took it the rim and canada couldnt stop that guy.

[Pauleta14]

A game to forget for Wemby, I'm really surprised that he is not more efficient.

He seems to have lost a lot of confidense and doesn't know what he's supposed to do

He ends up trying to be useful setting screens but it keeps him too far away from the basket without a PG capable of playing P&R

He was only served a cple times in the paint smh

They clearly aren't been working on ANY plays for him and it's mind boggling

[couchman]

This game blows up the narratives of... everyone around Wemby is trash, and the only reason Wemby ever fails is because of his coach or his teammates, yada yada.
We've heard it with the Spurs and also the French team and also his club team last year.
Reality: Wemby's offensive game is inefficient and immature at this point, and that's ok! He's still a teenager.
He's got a shot to be the GOAT but he's nowhere near there yet.

[TrueSpursFan]

wemby needs to put on weight period.No way a 6,7 guard should effect his game this much.There was another guy on france team who weighs
more but took it the rim and canada couldnt stop that guy.

height plays a big role in that. Lower center of mass as opposed to guards boxing out wembys legs

[exstatic]

wemby needs to put on weight period.No way a 6,7 guard should effect his game this much.There was another guy on france team who weighs
more but took it the rim and canada couldnt stop that guy.

His coach all but called him a ball hog, so he went into Kobe I’ll Pass It All The Time And Not Shoot mode. Brooks didn’t shut him down, Collet did.

[onechance87]

height plays a big role in that. Lower center of mass as opposed to guards boxing out wembys legs

Nah no way brook can guard yao ming like the way he guards wemby.Victor gonna have to sacrifice some speed
but gain some power.Cause trying to play like durant just aint it.

[exstatic]

Nah no way brook can guard yao ming like the way he guards wemby.Victor gonna have to sacrifice some speed
but gain some power.Cause trying to play like durant just aint it.

It absolutely IS it. The reason guys over 7’3” flame out is that they can’t carry standard big man weight for long. They break down. He’s 20 ing years old. Let him learn and develop before you turn him into a body builder.

[Pauleta14]

This game blows up the narratives of... everyone around Wemby is trash, and the only reason Wemby ever fails is because of his coach or his teammates, yada yada.
We've heard it with the Spurs and also the French team and also his club team last year.
Reality: Wemby's offensive game is inefficient and immature at this point, and that's ok! He's still a teenager.
He's got a shot to be the GOAT but he's nowhere near there yet.

2 truths can coexist

No game itself blows any narrative

Nuance is so overrated nowadays smh

[onechance87]

It absolutely IS it. The reason guys over 7’3” flame out is that they can’t carry standard big man weight for long. They break down. He’s 20 ing years old. Let him learn and develop before you turn him into a body builder.

im not asking him to gain 100 pounds.But there is no way our guards in castle,vassell weigh
as much or more as our starting center.

[Pauleta14]

It absolutely IS it. The reason guys over 7’3” flame out is that they can’t carry standard big man weight for long. They break down. He’s 20 ing years old. Let him learn and develop before you turn him into a body builder.

Exactly

He needs to use (change of) speed, mobility, faking, learning to spin etc Not bulk up to play the traditional big game

He's unique and will have a unique game.

[Limguogolo]

FIBA rules: the Euroleague beat the NBA.

Yabusele, Lessort and Cordinier are not role players, stop with this. And obviously Lessort and yabusele can play together: Canada had no big men. In the Euroleague, there are few role players, you have to be good on both ends of the pitch, and be aggressive. This is precisely what these three Euroleague players are doing. In Fiba games, everyone should contribute, no star system.

Aside from Shai, every NBA player was below. Victor doesn't play hard enough, he persists in wanting to fight in the paint instead of playing on his movements to achieve movement in the paint; very clumsy with ball in hand despite some nice steals. He still doesn't care much about rebounds. Good defensive game from Fournier, which shows that defense also involves a lot of aggression. And congratulations to Collet who finally understood that he was wrong to persist in his tactics and his rotations. We found sterile patterns in attack based on fifty screens, but seeing Cordinier and Lessort driving ferociously towards the basket from the 3 line changes everything.

I'd rather see Strazel again against Germany. Albicy is not an offensive threat and therefore does not free up any space for his teammates. What stupidity not to have taken Hifi…

[exstatic]

im not asking him to gain 100 pounds.But there is no way our guards in castle,vassell weigh
as much or more as our starting center.

Why not? It’s a different game than it was ten years ago. It’s a different game than it was five years ago. Short of getting an ass as big as Shaq, he’s not moving Dylan Brooks off his spot. He’ll HAVE to play like Durant, and reverse pivot and spin away from him. He’s taller and quicker. That’s what he should be utilizing.

[itzsoweezee]

France runs an NCAA-level offense. Just putrid to watch.

[Frenchfred]

This game blows up the narratives of... everyone around Wemby is trash, and the only reason Wemby ever fails is because of his coach or his teammates, yada yada.
We've heard it with the Spurs and also the French team and also his club team last year.
Reality: Wemby's offensive game is inefficient and immature at this point, and that's ok! He's still a teenager.
He's got a shot to be the GOAT but he's nowhere near there yet.

I don't know if it blows that narrative but I'd say that it shows that Wemby is not at the level yet where it can take over night in and night out like Duncan did, which is normal, as you said he is only 20. For me that's why, next year is still part of the rebuilding with a pretty strong draft class and I have no problem for the Spurs tanking again if they are at 30% win by mid season.

[Barfunk]

Glad France won, just don't particularly like such a huge free throw advantage and attempts. Hopefully everything was legit and it was simply Canada fouling like crazy.

[Frenchfred]

Why not? It’s a different game than it was ten years ago. It’s a different game than it was five years ago. Short of getting an ass as big as Shaq, he’s not moving Dylan Brooks off his spot. He’ll HAVE to play like Durant, and reverse pivot and spin away from him. He’s taller and quicker. That’s what he should be utilizing.

I'm not sure that he is quicker than Brooks and that's part of the problem, he is not strong enough to get position and not quick enough (although quick for a player his size) to take defenders off the dribble. For a guy his size, he should be able to shoot like if he wasn't defended though, he should work on his jumper and 3 pointer and be over 50% at 2 point and close to 40% at the 3-point line.

I agree with onechance that another 10-15 pounds, especially in his lower body, won't kill him and should help him a lot.

[KDKSpurs24]

Lebron’s passing has been incredible to watch In these olympics.

[DAF86]

Of course he can play alongside another big. Just not Gobert

He needs a guy like Mamu who has a feel for the game and decent technique

Gobert is just horrible in those areas

I still prefer him as lone big tho

Mamu isn't a center.

[spurraider21]

France/Canada/Germany were the 3 toughest matchups and all are on the opposite side of the bracket for the US

[TD 21]

Craptors fan boy media is predictably playing the officiating card online (they remain the only team in history to never legitimately be beaten, only losing when the refs screwed them and/or they "missed shots they normally make"), but the real story was France playing a more functional rotation and punishing Canada's lack of size.

It'll be interesting to see who emerges as the presumptive foremost threat to the U.S.A. in the future. France has Risacher, Sarr, Salaun, Dadiet, Traore in the pipeline, while Canada has Mathurin, Sharpe, Miller, Edey.

Mamu isn't a center.

I don't know how this is still a debate. Two C lineups haven't cut it offensively in eons and won't going forward. Not even when they're a laser like Towns (Timberwolves finished 16th offensively) or as skilled/versatile as Wembanyama.

The real questions are, can a face up big man be the hub of a championship offense and if not, then can they still be the best player in the world? As unprecedented as he is, there's no track record of one doing so.