'Inspiring, Inspiring': How Joel Embiid's Masterclass Was Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama's Biggest 'Education'
A mixture of water and sweat still dripping down his face, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid stood at center court with a headset on.
It hadn't even been 10 minutes since the final buzzer sounded at Wells Fargo Center, but the 7-footer was already being bombarded with questions from ESPN's remote studio, as well as an in-person reporter. All of them focused on two things.
The first topic of conversation? Embiid had broken all kinds of records.
In 37 minutes, he scored 70 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and dished out five assists — marking just the ninth 70-point performance in NBA history and setting a new franchise high for the 76ers in the process. With numbers like that, it's hard to argue his greatness. In fact, Embiid has been one of the league's greats for years. But this? This was different.
Because not even Wilt Chamberlain had accomplished such a task.
"Wilt never did this?" Embiid remarked with a chuckle upon hearing that only Michael Jordan had ever notched a 65-15-5 performance — and even then, his point total was five less. "I don't believe that. I'm sure Wilt has done it at some point, it just wasn't recorded."
Jan 22, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) is doused with water by teammates after scoring 70 points in a victory against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center.
© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Embiid was playing humble. He's always been about team success more than his own — as seen by his regularly-mocked display of emotion after losing by two points and four rim clicks in Game 7 against the Toronto Raptors four years ago. He's been the frontman of "The Process" for seasons on end, and is once again in MVP talks as Philadelphia looks to break its second-round playoffs curse.
Embiid might not have made it over the hump just yet, and Monday night didn't accomplish that, either, but his 70 points were a reminder of his talent. His undeniable skill.
And for Victor Wembanyama — the 7-footer who faced defeat in a building buzzing with celebration — it was a learning experience.
It was inspiring.
That was the second topic of conversation.
“It would have been more fun in a win, of course,” Wembanyama said following the game. “But it’s inspiring. Inspiring, especially offensively."
Jan 22, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) dribbles the ball against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center.
© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Wembanyama has shined as a rookie, which isn't anything new, as it was expected of him prior to the season — then again, a lot was expected of him. But while most of that raw talent was likely to come on the defensive end, it's been evident on the scoring end as well.
San Antonio's new cornerstone has given the league plenty to look forward to between his over-the-head passes, self-alley-oops and pull-up 3-point ability.
He's notched 38 points and 20-20 games, too, but nothing like the masterclass he stood witness to in Philadelphia. For that, he's still got a long way to go.
But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
"Victor gets an education every game," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of his rookie. "There's stuff to learn for rookies every single game. It doesn't matter what the team is or who the players are."
Against Kevin Durant, Wembanyama learned how it looked to be a 7-foot killer from the field. He saw a lanky player torch defenses with handles and elusiveness in the way he's shown flashes of capability.
When facing Giannis Antetokounmpo, he saw what it looked like to play bully ball. To span the length of the floor in two dribbles or less.
He saw a future version of himself.
He's learned things from every game, even against teams without a 7-foot superstar. Against Ja Morant, he saw explosiveness in its finest capacity. The Clippers showed him and his teammates the closest thing to a fully well-rounded team in back-to-back games.
And Embiid?
Embiid taught Wembanyama what big-man domination truly looks like in the modern-day NBA.
“A few years back, it was more of a guard's game," Wembanyama said. "But now, it's come back to a big man's game. ... Some guys around the league can do a lot of stuff despite being very tall, and it’s the way the game changes now. We’ve got to adapt.”
Jan 22, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts on the floor after being called for a foul against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center.
© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Wembanyama — as he's done all season — took a big lesson away from facing the 76ers on the road. Yes, it would have been nice to nab a win, but San Antonio didn't.
Yet, the effort Popovich saw from his guys was more than enough.
"I thought we were great," the veteran coach explained. "We [were] playing a team that's trying to win a championship. We gave everything we had to give. That's the most important part."
"You keep playing and learning," he added. "Obviously, we're not going to be able to play these guys the way we would play if we were also a championship ball club. But given the fact these guys are just learning how to play with each other, as young as they are, I got to love what they did out there."
The entire first half between the league-youngest Spurs and the contending 76ers was tight. San Antonio even made it out of the first quarter with a slim lead.
Wembanyama led that charge, notching 33 points by the end of the night to mark his fourth 30-point outing, but even with it not being enough to get the best of Philadelphia, it was a promising showing.
Promise. That's been the biggest trait about Wembanyama thus far this season. Nikola Jokic saw it, as did Giannis — though he claims he doesn't believe it — and Joel Embiid did, too.
In fact, he gave Wembanyama praise in the highest order.
“He’s great," Embiid said before anything else during his post-game interview. "He’s got everything. Size, skill ... everything. [There's] nothing else to say. Bright future. ... He's amazing.
"In my opinion, he's [already] up there as far as the best players in the league."
Coming from a player who can lay claim to one of those spots, it says something about Wembanyama's impact. And according to Embiid, Wembanyama isn't even close to reaching his ceiling.
“If he says it’s inspiring, I hope in a couple years — hopefully when I don’t have to guard him and I’m out of the league — he’s able to do the same thing," Embiid joked. "[He'll] go out and break all these records and possibly break Wilt's record of 100 points."
Again, humble. And considering he just finished scoring 70 points on them, Embiid might be selling himself short.
Others on the Spurs certainly think so.
"He’s unstoppable," Spurs shooting guard Devin Vassell said of facing the reigning MVP. "I mean, we tried boxing him out, tried sending doubles, tried putting different people on him. He’s MVP for a reason. It was tough. Tough matchup."
So, Vassell spoke his truth. Wembanyama did, too, as did Embiid.
All were genuine. All were compliments. All were truths.
Wembanyama isn't at the level of Joel Embiid yet, but watching him put up a historic performance was a great start to a journey down that path. The rookie could very well end up becoming the next iteration of a Wilt Chamberlain-like player, but that's a reality not yet realized.
If/when it comes to fruition, however, Wembanyama will be the one doused with water and sweat standing at center court. He'll be the one being compared to NBA greats, while Embiid will be the one watching from home.
But he'd be smiling and prouder than anyone of the generational forward.
He would have called it, after all.
