Oscar Wembanyama, a 19-year-old basketball player standing 2.00 meters (about 6 feet 7 inches) tall, has chosen the ÉLITE 2, the second-tier French basketball league, as the starting point for his professional career. He has been playing for Denain Voltaire, a team currently at the top of the league standings, for several weeks. Wembanyama described the club as a "springboard or a launchpad" in an interview this summer, and he has been actively using every opportunity to demonstrate his skills on the court. After two relatively quiet matches, Wembanyama made a significant impact during the French Cup victory against Gravelines, scoring 16 points. His performance improved further on October 9, during his first-ever starting appearance with the Dragons against Levallois. In that match, he scored 17 points on 7 out of 10 shots (including 1 out of 3 from three-point range), grabbed 5 rebounds, recorded 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. His highlights included an alley-oop to excite the crowd, dunks, jump shots, and a playful celebration to tease teammate Solly Stansbury. This performance earned him 23 points in evaluation, the highest of his very young professional career. Wembanyama's coach, Mickaël Hay, who coached the French U20 team this summer, acknowledged that while Wembanyama's abilities are clear, he is still a young player with limited basketball experience. Hay mentioned that Wembanyama sometimes plays against the team's strategy but emphasized that this is normal for someone with limited experience. He believes that if Wembanyama listens to his next coach, Thomas Andrieux at Denain, he will be able to improve many aspects of his game and become a really interesting player in the future. Wembanyama began playing basketball in 2021, after a youth career focused on handball. His move to the ÉLITE 2 allows him to make up for a lack of formal basketball training. Denain Voltaire provides him with the necessary tools for his development, giving him an average of 17 minutes per game since the start of the season in a team competing for top positions in the league. However, Wembanyama has indicated that he does not intend to stay long in the second division, suggesting he aims for higher levels of competition in the future.