Victor Wembanyama's compatriot heaps glowing praise, highlights key similarity with 7-foot-1 French star

French forward Nicolas Batum praised Victor Wembanyama in an interview with league insider Grant Afseth for RG.Org. The interview, published on Friday, covered French basketball, the players who have come before and the new generation of talent from the country.

After talking about Tony Parker and Boris Diaw as athletes who've inspired Batum, the conversation pivoted towards Rudy Gobert. Batum eventually compared Gobert to the San Antonio Spurs' center and fellow Frenchman, Wembanyama.

Batum sang Wemby's praises in the interview:

"The rim protection is similar. Victor has more ability to do different things on defense--he's unique."

Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert share some similarities. Both are from France and are listed well over seven feet tall, with Wemby standing at 7-foot-3 and Gobert at 7-foot-1. They are also considered elite defenders, especially at the rim.

In fact, the two were locked in a tight battle for the Defensive Player of the Year award last season. Gobert averaged 2.1 blocks per game, while Wembanyama averaged a league-leading 3.6 bpg. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves were the top-rated defense in the league at 108.4, while the Spurs were at 115.6.

Gobert won the DPOY award with 72 first-place votes while Wemby earned 19.

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Victor Wembanyama has already surpassed Rudy Gobert in one interesting statistic

Victor Wembanyama has proven that he could be one of the league's best two-way players for years to come. On offense, he can hit 3-pointers consistently and create his own scoring opportunities. Defensively, his length helps him reject shots with regularity.

In fact, Wemby's defensive acumen has allowed him to do something that Rudy Gobert hasn't yet accomplished: recording two double-figure block games.

Wembanyama's first such game came on Feb. 12, against the Toronto Raptors. He also registered a triple-double in that game, dropping 27 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking 10 shots. He also shot 10-for-14 from the field, including 2-for-4 from the 3-point line.

Wemby recorded his second double-digit block game on Dec. 21, against the Portland Trail Blazers. Aside from recording 10 blocks, he scored 30 points while going 8-for-16 (4-for-8 from beyond the arc).

Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert's career-high in blocks falls just one short of hitting double-figures. On March 22, 2021, when he was still with the Utah Jazz, Gobert registered nine blocks against the Chicago Bulls. Aside from nine rejections, Gobert also scored 21 points on a 9-for-11 shooting clip while also grabbing 10 rebounds.