French combo forward Oscar Wembanyama detailed his professional basketball development and the experience of navigating the shadow of his older brother, NBA star Victor Wembanyama, during an interview at the adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy on Thursday.
The 19-year-old SIG Strasbourg player recently transitioned from the junior squad to earning minutes on the senior roster in France's top division, following a strong performance where he recorded 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in a tournament victory.
Wembanyama explained how a coaching change forced him to elevate his focus and adaptation to professional standards, according to HoopsHype.
"Yeah, well, I had a new coach this year. There was a new coach for the pro team.
And like, start of the season, he told me like you have to be more focused, you have to be more focused and bring a lot more of energy and just being in the like mental state of you're in a pro court you have to perform you have to be focused, bring energy, not mess up things in offense, be being in in the right place in defense, and it's just, yeah, being more focused.
That was my biggest issue and I've improved a lot," said Wembanyama.
Family Support and Versatile Game
To navigate these professional demands, the forward relies heavily on the support system provided by his basketball-oriented family.
"They always try to help me. I ask them questions when I'm messed up or something's not clear.
When I need advice, I know I can turn on my sister, my brother, my parents. They always have good advices.
I have a really security feeling about being well surounded," said Wembanyama.
The 6-foot-9 player described himself as a highly versatile and creative asset on the court, a trait he attributes to his late start in the sport.
"I think I'm a very versatile player. I can play multiple positions and also defend on multiple positions.
And since I started late, I had to work on every aspect of my game.
What makes me a good player today is the way I worked on every aspect of the game.
Like I improve on everything, on shooting, on handle, on passing, on defense. And I think that's what makes me and will make me a good player.
I think that's the versatility and being creative on the court, not having like limits and all the mind work about the game," said Wembanyama.
From Handball to Basketball
Before dedicating himself to basketball in 2021 at the age of 14, Wembanyama spent his youth playing a different sport entirely.
"No, I was playing handball. I started basketball in 2021 when I was 14," said Wembanyama.
He noted that handball was highly popular in his hometown, prompting him to play alongside his friends for five years before the COVID-19 lockdown altered his athletic path.
"I used to play handball. I started when I was eight, so pretty young.
I was playing with friends in my city.
It was a pretty big thing in my city, in my hometown because they had like a good team.
So, I had all my friends playing handball and I was doing pretty good. So I played like five years of handball.
And then after the COVID lockdown, I stopped and I switched to basketball," said Wembanyama.
Reflecting on his transition between sports, Wembanyama acknowledged that while team chemistry and running translated well, the physical demands and footwork required major adjustments.
"Yeah.
When you play as a young age, team sports, it's a lot of running, a lot of passing, and just team chemistry.
So it's pretty similar to basketball, but what's very different is the footwork and the physicality context.
So I had to really change the way of playing against other people," said Wembanyama.
Looking ahead, the prospect hopes to demonstrate his defensive capabilities while actively working to refine his playmaking skills from the small forward position.
"I think the defense is very important.
It's so important in today's game just to be trustful on defense and eventually bring steals, deflections and everything.
But I think the part of my game I really want to improve is the playmaking, I'd say.
because when you play at the small forward position there's not always a place for you to have the ball in your hands, create for the others, because it's a position where you really play off the ball.
I can play off the ball, I always like to learn how to play off the ball, but I think I really can bring something when playing pick-and-roll, transition basketball.
I think that's one of my strengths," said Wembanyama.
As reported by AOL, carrying a famous surname brings unique external expectations, though the forward attempts to isolate himself from public scrutiny and social media noise.
"I mean, it's definitely not easy. I think every athlete that has a family member that went pro knows what it is.
People recognize you without you doing nothing. But I think I just don't care about a lot of things.
social media, people knowing you. Like, I don't care about that.
I care about the people that are close to me. So I think I do a pretty good job just shutting the noise around me.
But it's definitely, it's definitely like I have a big name. my brother's the best player in the world.
So I cannot ignore that. And nobody does, I'd say it's a different type of pressure," said Wembanyama.
Wembanyama concluded that managing heavy media attention and fan reactions early in his career is simply an unavoidable aspect of the professional lifestyle.
"Yeah, sometimes it's annoying when you have down time.
When you're not feeling so great, it's always difficult to deal with all the intentions you have, but it's a part of being a professional.
I mean, the only thing that changed for me is that all the attention comes early in my career.
But eventually, if you become a professional basketball player, you have to deal with it - media, fans, haters.
It's life," said Wembanyama.
