On the sidelines for several weeks, Victor Wembanyama had reason to worry about his health. Nevertheless, it seems that the basketball gods have been kind to him! The young tricolor hope has just made his return to competition.
We have rarely known a French nugget as highly rated across the Atlantic as Victor Wembanyama. The pivot of Lyon-Villeurbanne is indeed expected very highly in the draft from 2023, the date on which he will be eligible. His latest ranking even gives hope for a first draft pick ! Nevertheless, everything can go very quickly with the orange ball, especially when you are injury-prone like the young man.
Regularly bothered by physical glitches since the start of the season, he had not played since December 20 following a shoulder problem. But that seems to be a thing of the past now. Wembanyama was seen dunking in ASVEL’s warm-up last Wednesday, ahead of the Euroleague match against Panathinaikos. Better than that, the tricolor interior even participated in the confrontation between the two teams!
Victor Wembanyama back to competition
???? Back to competition tonight for @vicw_32 ????#LDLCASVEL #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/44BnNu9pKj
— LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) February 11, 2022
Dressed to face the Greeks, Wembyanama finished the game with 5 points and 5 rebounds. Not the craziest of stat sheets, but the gist of course was elsewhere. Before the meeting, he also had a long interview with the newspaper The Team, looking back on his recovery period. He explains that his long absence was notably due to precaution, in order to preserve his health in the long term. After all, it’s the big league he’s aiming for shortly.
Many find these glitches problematic. However, almost no basketball player would normally stop for a broken finger, especially in the left hand. With my entourage and the club, we simply have a common strategy and objective. We want to take the time. They didn’t want me to take a shot again, risk that it could cause osteoarthritis later. We apply a precautionary principle.
If we stop for a long time, it’s not because it’s hard to heal. These interruptions, I don’t spend resting. We work hard, every day, basketball, bodybuilding, care. This has been seen on each of my returns. After the fracture, I was more toned. I want to be sure, each time, to come back better.
Promised to a bright future, Victor Wembanyama did not want to compromise it by returning to the game too quickly. A commendable and understandable attitude, because risking a relapse could greatly lower his rating with NBA scouts.
