Rookie Victor Wembanyama Showcases Unstoppable Ability Versus Phoenix
On Thursday night, Victor Wembanyama had the best performance of his young career.
The first overall pick tallied 38 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks. He did so efficiently, as well. He converted 15 of his 26 field goal attempts and half of his six attempts from beyond the arc. His San Antonio Spurs also outscored the Phoenix Suns by 21 points with Wembanyama on the court.
Nearly all of Wembanyama’s buckets were highlight plays, not necessarily for their complexity, but rather how easy he made them look. From his movement shooting ability to his finishing range to his lob radius, Wembanyama is the ultimate play-finisher. No matter how bad his finishing angle may seem or how smothered by defenders he is, he figures out a way to use his height and length to get a bucket.
On multiple occasions last night, Wembanayama employed above-the-rim finishes from multiple feet away. His 8-foot wingspan made up for however far he was from the rim. He also caught some lobs with smaller players on him. His teammates simply threw it up and he made the play.
Additionally, Wembanyama hit some jarring pull-up 3s, including a Durant-esque make to close the first half.
The 7-foot-4 big man’s 38 points are the third-most by a Spurs rookie in one game. Only David Robinson has put up more; he recorded 41 points and 39 points on two separate occasions in his debut season. However, Wembanyama still has 77 games to top these numbers. He will have to continue to dial up his scoring with Coach Greg Poppovich stating that their star forward, Devin Vassell, will be “out for a while” after suffering a groin injury in last night’s matchup. While unfortunate news for San Antonio’s playoff hopes, this provides Wembanyama with an opportunity to handle a larger offensive responsibility.
Wembanyama’s dominant performance last night is exactly what NBA fans have been waiting for. He’s the most unique prospect the game has ever seen, and some would say the best. Last night, the 19-year-old put up the first of many monster stat lines he will record over his career.
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