'OVERRATED!' 'Alien' Victor Wembanyama Bullied By New York Knicks In 126-105 Win Over Spurs
LeBron James has flatteringly labeled rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama "The Alien,'' for all the right reasons.
But in his Madison Square Garden debut, the 7-4 Frenchman only looked "alien'' in the sense that he was new to New York, new to the NBA and new to the level of physicality that he was subjected to in the Knicks' 126-105 win.
How rough was the outing? Knicks fans gleefully inaugurated the 19-year-old with chants of "Overrated!'' as he totaled 14 points, most of it in garbage time, on 4 of 14 shooting with three turnovers.
Wemby was asked about the concept of feeling there is "a target on his back.''
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“Of course, but it’s not something new. I’ve seen that in past years,” Wembanyama said.
And he will will see it for the rest of what promises to be a brilliant career, which is in fairness off to a good start. The 2023 first-overall pick in his opening seven games had been averaging 19.4 points with 2.6 blocks heading into Wednesday.
Said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich: “He’s a 19-year-old rookie who is just learning about the NBA. Of course, it’s a learning experience.”
The Knicks moved to 4-4 with Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein taking turns wrestling with Wemby, led by as many as 30 in the third quarter as they pushed the Spurs to 3-5. They also handled their business on the offensive end with a balanced effort from Jalen Brunson (25 points), RJ Barrett (24) and Julius Randle (23) and Immanuel Quickley (19). They have three days off and a two-game winning streak before Sunday’s game against the Hornets.
“Feels good,'' Barrett said, "to protect home court. Definitely loved the fans. It was sold out tonight. So to get a win in front of them was great and we got to keep building on it.”
