Victor Wembanyama, France Should be Favorites to Win Gold in 2028 Olympics

The 2024

Olympic Basketball

Finals have concluded with Team USA defeating Team France 98-87 to claim gold for the fifth straight time. However, the gap between the USA and other national teams is getting smaller, as many countries are producing new stars to dethrone the powerhouse. None of these countries are doing it to the extent that France is, though, and the first glimpse of that was seen in this year’s

Olympics

.

This was the second straight Olympic Games that France made it to the final to face Team USA, although they had a much better chance to beat them this year. Much of this has to do with the debut of

Victor Wembanyama

, the 7-foot-4 star who has taken the

NBA

by storm this past season.

With the team now being led by Wembanyama, and potentially having a completely new roster in 2028 as they have young stars coming into the NBA, France might just be the team to end the Team USA streak.

Victor Wembanyama Will Lead the Charge

The young star will be a much more dangerous player

One of the main reasons why Team France should be favorites to win the 2028 Olympics is because they will be led by a much improved Victor Wembanyama. Although Wembanyama had a great rookie year in the 2023-24 NBA season, he will be much more dominant four years from now and will likely be entering his prime.

There is a very good chance that he will be the best and most unguardable player in the sport heading into Los Angeles in 2028. ESPN Senior Writer David Dennis Jr. believes that will be the case, and that it will result in France being unstoppable in the next Olympics.

Although Wembanyama has already shown himself to be dominant, it’s clear that he will take a massive leap and will be a completely different player four years from now. He will continue to use his size more efficiently and will build strength to be able to control the game more.

In just one season, Wembanyama has cemented himself as one of the best defenders in the NBA, as he was one of the favorites to win the 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year award, which ended up going to his Olympic teammate

Rudy Gobert

.

However, his main attribute is still his athleticism, as his speed and agility at his size is something unheard of and will be a major threat to every other team in the league throughout his career.

These are all attributes that will continue to improve, alongside his already good scoring skills. Last season, Wembanyama had a decent scoring season, though his splits were not on par with what they should be as a big man.

However, much of this has to do with him taking many more shots outside the paint than an average center would, which altered his field goal percentage. In reality, Wembanyama shot 73.4 percent inside in the 2023-24 season, proving that he is already a dangerous player to guard.

Although he is already one of the most unguardable players in the world, Wembanyama is still only 20 years old and will continue to improve his game massively. Once he improves his shot selection and learns how to create opportunities for his teammates, it will be borderline impossible to stop the big man from controlling the game and playing at his own pace.

Wembanyama could very well be coming into the 2028 Olympics as the best basketball player in the world, and considering that he’s already led France to the gold medal game this early in his career, every other national team should watch out.

Completely New Look For France in the 2028 Olympics

More NBA talent will be joining the team in Los Angeles

Though France won silver in this year’s Olympics, it was done without the nation’s best young players, who will be the faces of the roster the next time the event comes around. Wembanyama was France’s only young star who was taken to the Olympics to represent their country. However, in 2028, Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert will be joined by a much deeper roster with many more players who will be in the NBA.

The first and second overall picks in the 2024 NBA Draft came out of France, though neither of them were selected to compete in the Olympics.

Zaccharie Risacher

was picked first overall by the

Atlanta Hawks

and will become a key contributor for them within the next few seasons as a reliable player.

And despite an up-and-down Summer League stint,

Alexandre Sarr

should get plenty of opportunities in his rookie season with the rebuilding

Washington Wizards

. He has shown glimpses of being a two-way player, though he is currently much more polished on the defensive end.

However, that’s not all for France, as their own

Tidjane Salaun

was also drafted with the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft. Oddly enough, although he was drafted after both Risacher and Sarr, he might have a higher ceiling than both of them, as he has the traits needed to become both a great offensive and defensive player.

French prospect Nolan Traoré is expected to go in the top five in the 2025 NBA Draft. Traoré is a great playmaker with star potential who will make a huge impact on whatever team he ends up getting drafted by.

Players such as

Melvin Ajinca

and

Pacome Dadiet

will have a key role to play on the 2028 France roster as they were both selected in the 2024 NBA Draft. France also has a great future in terms of prospects, as both Noa Essengue and Zacharie Perrin are expected to be drafted in the 2025 Draft, with Noa potentially being a lottery pick.

Other players such as Hugo Facorat and Naoh Penda will be entering the league sometime within the next few seasons.

With what will be a much improved Victor Wembanyama leading the charge, alongside a team that will have much more NBA talent, France should be considered a favorite to win the 2028 Olympics.

Although Team USA will gain players such as

Ja Morant

and

Scottie Barnes

, they will also be losing top stars in

LeBron James

,

Stephen Curry

, and

Kevin Durant

. This opens up the window for a team like France to be able to end the Team USA winning streak and win basketball gold for the first time in the nation’s history.

All statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference

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