© Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
'I'm Not Surprised': Spurs' Victor Wembanyama Opens Up About Outstanding Rookie Success
After a season full of impressive stat lines and press conferences, Victor Wembanyama delivered one more in an online interview, speaking on his work ethic and lack of surprise toward his personal success.
Victor Wembanyama has done nothing but shock the basketball world since he made his NBA debut.
However that term gets defined, whether it be his first time playing at Summer League in Las Vegas — the game he earned himself his first batch of doubters — or when he lit up Frost Bank Center with flaslights ahead of his first home game, Wembanyama made noise.
He clearly established himself as a disruptive defender, which, to be frank, would be alarming if he didn't, but simultaneously showed flashes of explosive scoring.
He was a true dual-threat.
As the season progressed, Wembanyama continued to be great. He powered through a minutes restriction that kept him on the bench longer than he might've liked for weeks at a time, learned to play a more American-style game and even led the league in blocks as a rookie.
Yet, as much as he accomplished throughout the season, it seemed that just about everyone was surprised except him, which he opened up about in a post-season interview with The Ringer.
“It’s impossible to be surprised by your own performance, good or bad,” Wembanyama said of his first-season performance. “Because, ultimately, everything is a result of your own work and your mentality.
"I always want more, so I’m not surprised.”
Apr 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) blocks the shot of Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
More? A rookie who averaged more-than 20 points and three blocks a game? A player who led the league in step-back 3-point percentage? How much more could he do?
Again, Wembanyama provided an answer only he could.
“I think in terms of development from my first game to my prime, I am at 15 percent of my capabilities,” he told French journalist Theo Quintard.
If Wembanyama at 15 percent put up the numbers he did, then a full-strength Wembanyama might re-define what dominance looks like. As it stands, the rookie scares off opposing teams' players at the rim — even in situations where he's outnumbered. He's proven to be a force to be reckoned with on the court, but also a reporter's dream off of it. And that, I speak from experience.
"Being good at everything" was something Wembanyama established as a goal from Day 1. He's certainly come close to doing that on the court, as his list of weaknesses is short and nit-picky, but off of it, he's seemed to nail it.
He keeps a bed time of 9 p.m., takes 30 minutes to read every night and resists any urges to party and drink alcohol with ease — claiming immunity to such impulses — which only makes him more impressive.
“The goal for me in my life is to accomplish myself and to be a complete human being,” Wembanyama said. “I’m free to do what I want and what I need to do, and there’s nothing that is going to stop me from doing so.”
As the Spurs continue to develop their young star, he'll do the same with himself. Whether it's finding moves from other stars in the league to add to his on-ball weapon arsenal or taking more time to decompress and keep his mind in peak-condition, he'll be bettering himself.
And with a mindset like that, it's no wonder he isn't surprised by his own success.
Only time will tell if that becomes true for the rest of the basketball community.
