SAN ANTONIO — Once a coach, always a coach.
That might be what is going through San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama's former French National Team head coach Vincent Collet's mind when he was asked about the Spurs rookie's NBA start on the French show, NBA Extra.
Collet was asked to give his evaluation of French players in the NBA.
When he got around to Wemby, he was a bit critical. Here's how he assessed the rookie's early NBA career in San Antonio:
"What disappoints me a little is his shooting percentage. For me, that's not enough for a player like him," said Collet via Basket News. "There are various factors at play, including how he's assisted by his teammates. They should be providing him with more opportunities for easier baskets, which could boost his shooting percentage."
A look at his shooting percentages does show he needs more fine-tuning.
At the rim, he is at 74%, and from inside the three-point line he is at 50%. However, he is shooting 27% from the three-point line and 39% from 10-16 feet away from the rim.
And if you are tracking who is assisting Wembanyama the most this season, Tre Jones comes in with 15 assists to the rookie followed by Keldon Johnson with 13 and Devin Vassell with 11.
Collet also opined on Wemby's shot selection and decision-making.
"There is really room for improvement for him. I believe it will balance out. Decision-making is crucial, as taking better shots increases the likelihood of making them," he said. "Progress is needed in these areas."
Collet continued to evaluate his former player's early NBA start.
He touched on Wembanyama's performance versus the team's recent game versus Sacramento and noticed his shots-to-assists ratio stating that he needs to share the ball more with his San Antonio teammates.
"And then the connection with teammates. Against Sacramento, he took 26 shots and made zero assists. For me, it's embarrassing," Collet said. "But you also have to be patient, the NBA season only started four weeks ago."
Wembanyama is having a solid start to his pro career.
In 29.9 minutes per game, he is posting 18.6 points including 9.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.6 blocks.
He is the favorite to win the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year and he's only going to get better as each game passes.
There are many NBA games left for Wembanyama to improve. Keep in mind he is just 19 years old and is shouldering the pressure of high expectations not just in San Antonio but throughout the NBA world including his home country, France.
In time, he'll tighten things up on the court, familiarize himself with his teammates more, and soon he'll be that star many projects he'll become.