Many are the frustrations at the end of this lost match against Slovenia. But there are also a lot of positives to draw from the match of the Blues, in particular the awakening of Amath M’Baye, inducted into the 5 major in place of Guerschon Yabusele, left to rest for this match. A boost in confidence that comes at the best of times, as the finals begin on Saturday.
After what can only be described as a ghostly start to EuroBasket, Amath was empowered today and he was invaluable against Slovenia. To tell the truth, it is difficult to overwhelm him for his start to the Euro as he played little: 17 minutes accumulated over the first four games, including two games where he did not even come into play. What performance on these 17 minutes? 6 points at 2/4 on shots, 2 rebounds, 3 fouls and 1 loss of ball. In short, not much to remember, not easy either to be on the pace in these conditions. But Amath is a pro, and he proved it tonight by being exemplary on the pitch. Placed in the 5th major by Vincent Collet, as during the 2019 World Cup and this time replacing Guerschon Yabusele injured his thigh, the little strong winger responded perfectly, despite a missed dunk that we would all have wanted to see the net whipped. Finally ? 13 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and a lot of defensive activity in 34 minutes. This is an excellent sign for him and the France group, when he was almost out of rotation. Almost not out of the first half, M’Baye will also have slammed two big shots at the end of the match to allow the Blues to stay in it.
To flesh out this tribute to role players a little? We can also congratulate… Elie Okobo, for whom the start of this EuroBasket was very, very complicated. The new rear of AS Monaco, until this evening, had played a total of 41 minutes, for a sincerely mediocre performance: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 loss of balls and 3 assists. No, not on average, cumulatively. We know that Elie is a player who works on confidence, and we have to believe that she was present with him this evening: with his left paw he took in some big shots, and despite a few fails at the end of the match when the bodies began to be bruised by the blows and the stakes, his awakening was generally a very good thing for the Blues and he will end the meeting with 11 points at 4/7 on shots including a good big buzzer from the families before half-time, of the kind that allow you to go piss in peace.
Obviously, defeat hurts. But fortunately, this match was not eliminatory and it is important to draw the positive from this kind of defeat. Amath M’Baye and Elie Okobo, in particular, are among the positive points to remember, just like this DEVIL OF TARPEY. Involved and focused in defense and attack, the two men were able to remain ready despite unclear roles and situations that were not necessarily easy to manage. It gives hope for the rest of the competition, which promises to be tough, and the Blues will need these second knives more than ever who, we hope, have been full of confidence after these great performances.