Wembanyama Feasts in France Rout as Jones-Garcia Gets Ejected
Wemby dropped 22-9-2 in a 92-67 blowout of Slovenia, while Spurs two-way wing David Jones-Garcia was tossed on two flagrants.
Nothing here changes his elite draft-day value — the tools travel.
- Wemby: 22 pts, 9 reb, 2 blk vs Slovenia
- France won 92-67, sits 6-1 atop Group L
- Jones-Garcia: 8 pts on 1-of-7 from three
- DJG ejected on two flagrants in the fourth
- Pelle Larsson dropped 31 for Sweden vs Finland
Victor Wembanyama shook off his self-described rust from the warm-up games against Nikola Jokic's Serbia and reminded everyone why he's the most terrifying frontcourt player alive. In France's 92-67 demolition of a Luka Doncic-less Slovenia on Thursday, Wemby posted 22 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, and Les Bleus outscored their opponents by 22 with him on the floor. The game was functionally over by halftime.
That win pushes France to 6-1 atop Group L, and with the top three from each group punching tickets to Qatar 2027, qualification is looking like a formality. Four games remain, though the December and March windows fall during the NBA season, meaning France's stars won't be available for those. Which makes the next one — Sweden in Stockholm on August 30 — the one that likely seals it.
Sweden earned that matchup by knocking off Finland behind a monster night from Miami Heat wing Pelle Larsson, who poured in 31 points with five boards. That's a wild outlier for a role player who averaged just 11.4 points and 22 fantasy points per game across 70 outings last season (2025-26, actual). Nobody on the Swedish roster has the size to bother Wembanyama, so expect another feast.
The Jones-Garcia Meltdown
The other Spurs story of the night went the opposite direction. David Jones-Garcia, San Antonio's two-way wing, had a rough shift as the Dominican Republic edged previously-undefeated Brazil 94-90. He finished with just eight points on 14 shots, hit only one of seven from deep, dished zero assists and coughed the ball up twice.
The bigger problem was his temper. Jones-Garcia picked up two flagrants and got ejected early in the fourth. The first — catching Bruno Caboclo in the head on a dunk attempt — was at least a basketball play. The second was pure self-sabotage: a needless hip-check on Raul Neto during a Brazilian inbound, embellished or not, that got upgraded to unsportsmanlike after review. The DR survived anyway and sits third in Group E at 5-2, behind the U.S. and Brazil, with Chile up next on August 31.
The Fantasy Takeaway
Nothing here shifts the needle on Wembanyama — he remains a top-tier, no-doubt building block, and international dominance against overmatched competition just confirms the ceiling. Hold him at his premium price and don't overthink it. Larsson's 31 is a fun box score but pure noise; he's a deep-league dart at best given his 22 fantasy points per game last season (2025-26, actual). And Jones-Garcia's ejection is a discipline flag, not a fantasy alarm — as a two-way wing he wasn't on your radar to begin with, and this doesn't put him there.
