The Undeniable Dominance of Victor Wembanyama
As the world was busy laughing at the absurdity of Victor Wembanyama's near 5x5 line against the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 22, little did anyone know that the rookie center would actually accomplish the line 24 hours later against the Los Angeles Lakers.
To briefly recap, Wembanyama played a grand total of 62 minutes over the course of two games, and in a span of just 24 hours produced 46 points, 23 rebounds, 12 assists, 10 steals, and 10 blocks.
While we can discuss the actual importance of counting stats all day long (and really, it's fine to debate their actual value), we cannot ignore the utter ridiculousness of what this 7-foot-4 rookie just did, and what has done in the statistical department all year.
He's just the 15th player to achieve a 5x5 line, consisting of totals of five or more in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
For him to barely miss having two of such games within one actual day, having just crossed the 50 games played barrier, at age 20, is the stuff of legends. That's not hyperbolic, by the way. That is going on the career resumé, just as his triple-double with 10 blocks performance earlier in the month, and the typical points-rebounds-assists triple-double in January.
Wembanyama is changing our expectations of him on a near-nightly basis. We were told to be patient, as he after all would be playing for the team-oriented San Antonio Spurs, and he was skinny.
In no uncertain terms, we were told his arrival would take time.
Fortunately for the Spurs, they never told us how long it'd specifically take. The Frenchman is officially here, standing tall, talented, and ready to assert his will on a league that has every reason to shiver about the thought of him at age 22.
Wembanyama is currently in a stretch where he's producing to a point where it's difficult to see anyone doing much better.
Over his past 16 games, we're looking at 22.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 3.9 blocks, and 1.7 steals in just 28.5 minutes per game.
Let me underline that last part to make sure you got that: 28.5 minutes per game.
That's just 4.5 minutes more than one half of basketball. On average. And we're looking at a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double average with over four assists and nearly four blocks.
What Wembanyama was doing even before this stretch was incomprehensible. Now, it's become a lighthouse that shows us an inkling of what's to come.
As he develops, and matures, the 20-year-old will only become more dominant, more efficient, more confident in his own abilities, to the point where nobody matching up against him will give him even a moment of hesitation.
During NBA All-Star Weekend, Wembanyama was noticeably upset when Anthony Edwards didn't take the skills challenge seriously. He was noticeably disappointed after the Lakers game, having achieved the 5x5 line, but in a loss.
What is the logical response of a player who is tired of losing, but wired to do something about it?
Better production.
As the 2023-24 NBA regular season is winding down, odds are good we'll see another handful of performances from Wembanyama that defy common logic. After all, he's chasing wins, even if the Spurs aren't.
Could we see his first 40-pointer? Perhaps a 25-rebound performance? It's all in the cards, as Wembanyama's ceiling seems to be completely shattered to pieces. There isn't a cap on his potential anymore. Not when he's doing what he's currently doing.
Wembanyama, for all intents and purposes, is currently accomplishing GOAT stuff. He's laying the foundation for a career that will see him climb the NBA's Mount Rushmore, in an effort to achieve immortality.
Now, granted, we've seen many climb that mountain only to never reach the top. We don't know if Wembanyama himself will ever get there.
But if we're taking stock of where he currently is on that journey, and comparing that to rookies of the past, it's difficult to not notice that he's ahead of the players that came before.
You can make a reasonable argument that the first 51 games of Victor Wembanyama's career are as good as anyone's since Michael Jordan, and you'd be hard-pressed to find reasonable people disagreeing.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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