Author of the first big performance of his career in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama scored 38 points and made an impression in the victory of the San Antonio Spurs on the floor of the Phoenix Suns, on the night of November 2 to 3 (132 -121). A record result which further reinforces expectations around the French prodigy.
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This time, he got everyone to agree. During its first releases, “Wemby” had alternated between good and average. Between 11 and 21 points per match, an irregular level and problems with fouls and ball losses. In this fifth match, the Frenchman was good from start to finish and on both sides of the pitch. Upon arrival, a statistics sheet worthy of the heavyweights of the championship: 38 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks. Victor Wembanyama holds his benchmark match. “ You could consider this a starting point for my career here », he rejoiced after the meeting.
An almost unprecedented precocity
These stats are impressive for such a young player. The 19-year-old interior player is the first Frenchman to score more than 30 points so quickly after arriving in the NBA. Tony Parker – considered the best French basketball player in history – had to wait for his second season.
After five games, LeBron James, the record holder for the number of points scored in the NBA, had not finished a match with more than 25 points. “LBJ” constitutes a reference on the subject: we have to go back to 2003 and his first season, to find traces of such expectations towards a rookie (player who arrives in the NBA).
Another telling figure: there are only two of them, besides Wembanyama, to have accumulated more than 35 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks in a game before turning 20. It’s LeBron James, him again, and Kevin Durant. The latter, considered the best striker in the world, is the Frenchman’s model. He was also his opponent for the evening. “ I know we’re both skinny, and he watched me play for a long time, but he’s his own player. I’m sure he was inspired by a lot of people “, explained the Phoenix Suns star to respond to comparisons between him and Wembanyama. And Kevin Durant added, admiringly: “ He’s really tough… really strong with his size and his touch on the ball. So he didn’t handle the ball much. He just did simple things. And that’s what great players do. »
Simple things, but effective. Victor Wembanyama, 2.24m, gives off a great impression of ease. His team seems to have perfectly understood how to take advantage of his size and his sprawling arms (2.43m wingspan), by passing him the ball very high and close to the circle. Wembanyama then seems unstoppable, he who is also capable of shooting from long distance and scored three three-point baskets in this match. Beyond the numbers, this ease and this ability to dominate one’s opponents is striking.
A response to criticism
Some observers, notably former players, doubted Victor Wembanyama’s ability to quickly rise to the level of the North American League. Many felt that the Frenchman was not strong enough, that he would take a long time to adapt or that he would fail to manage expectations.
But it is mentally that the player impresses the most. In his way of responding to pressure, to criticism after his first less convincing outings, but also by raising his level at the end of the match, in the money time, at the moment when the actions that count to allow his team to win. He’s already the boss in San Antonio. The Spurs have a positive record of three wins and two losses. They who finished last in the Western Conference last season.