The atmosphere for France-Brazil was unlike many group-stage openers. The crowd filed into the arena the moment the gates were open for the 5.15 p.m. local start and most of the 26,766 sang in unison as the national anthem of France was played prior to tipoff.

Wembanyama has already emerged as an NBA superstar by winning the Rookie of the Year Award for the San Antonio Spurs. But this was different. He was playing for his national team, which has waited impatiently for him to reach maturity to become an instant contributor.

In his first Olympic game, the 7ft 4in sensation carried France out of a 12-point hole in the second period with 14 first-half points, as the French cruised to a 78-66 win over the upset-minded Brazilians.

Wembanyama finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three blocks in pleasing the overwhelmingly supportive crowd in Group B play. Wembanyama showed his array of skills that makes him one of the more unusual and gifted players of his generation.

Victor Wembanyama: ‘France has a sixth man’

But the generally calm and collected Wembanyama felt the intensity from the atmosphere.

“We’re all here for a purpose,” he said. “All of us. We’re all ready to give our spot to the next guy. So this is what it’s about. You’ve seen it; we cannot underestimate the power of the home crowd. It’s really going to be the sixth man for the whole tournament.”

France trailed 27-15 early in the second period before going on a 39-15 run to restore order. Los Angeles Clippers swingman Nicolas Batum added 19 points, including three three-pointers, but the night was for the youthful Wembanyama. Mainstays such as Rudy Gobert and Evan Fourier have accepted lesser roles and offensive responsibility because of Wembanyama’s presence.

But with such responsibility comes pressure. The French team missed out on Friday’s Opening Ceremony because it was in Lille. This was the first time the loyal French fans saw Wembanyama on any Olympic stage. France won silver at Tokyo 2020 and there are expectations to push Team USA for gold, especially with the presence of Wembanyama.

Collet understands that as poised as he behaves and as polished as he plays, Wembanyama is still only 20. The expectations had to impact him. There were big celebrations after pivotal buckets. There were motions to the crowd when the momentum shifted France’s way. There was a fresh scratch on his left shoulder from a collision in the third quarter.

“I would say three days before the game I could tell he was a little bit stressed,” Collet said. “So we talked together and everybody around him, teammates, the rest of the staff, we tried to help him and I think he’s so mature, day by day, he got better with that. He just wanted it to stop but like all of us that’s a product of the first game. It depends a lot about expectations and I imagine they are quite high. That is something you must handle. We didn’t do it well the first 10 minutes.”

Victor Wembanyama shows leadership qualities

There are not only the on-court expectations in facing Brazil and the other teams in the Olympic Tournament, there’s also the hype and buzz surrounding Wembanyama since he was drafted first overall by the Spurs. He has turned into a role model and rock idol in France, with an affable personality and boyish good looks, he is adored by his compatriots.

This is not lost on Collet when he manages Wembanyama’s personality and expectations for himself.

“Everybody, all 27,000 people think they know Victor,” Collet said. “He’s already a leader. But even then he cannot win by himself. He needs teammates to help him. We cannot be good if we don’t find this chemistry. He needs to find a way to involve everybody.”

Collet seeks to manage those lofty expectations. He’s already a franchise cornerstone in San Antonio after one year. And he’s just beginning to approach his potential, which could soar once he becomes more physically prepared and mentally experienced for the NBA and FIBA rigors. The French coach warned against premature comparisons, although they are tempting because the talent and prowess are there.

“You have people who know basketball and they understand he’s 20 years old,” Collet said. “But people that don’t know basketball, they think Victor is already Michael Jordan. I explained to him the first game was about competition but it was to avoid the stress and it was the same for the team.

“I would be crazy if I don’t feel the stress. It’s really acceptable.”

Gary Washburn is an Olympic Channel correspondent and National NBA Writer for the Boston Globe.