When the San Antonio Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, many believed that it would take time for the 19-year old Frenchman to develop into one of the most impactful players in the league, citing issues with efficiency and issues with dealing with physicality. But on Thursday night, Wembanyama put all those concerns to bed with an outstanding performance against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
Wembanyama was already having an excellent game after he put up 20 points in the first half against the Suns on Thursday night. But he took his game to the next level in the fourth quarter with the Suns threatening to pull an UNO reverse card on the Spurs and come back from a 20-point deficit. He finished with 38 points, 10 rebounds, one steal, and two blocks on 15-26 shooting from the field, 3-6 from deep, and 5-6 from the foul line.
And in doing so, Victor Wembanyama became just the third teenager in NBA history to record at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks in a single game. The Spurs rookie joined who else but LeBron James and Kevin Durant as the only players aged 19 or younger to pull off this incredible feat.
James pulled off this feat way back on November 11, 2004 as a sophomore for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The NBA's all-time leading scorer, back when he was just 19 years old, dropped 38 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in a five-point win against the Seven Seconds or Less Suns.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant accomplished this feat on April 16, 2008, as he dropped an eye-popping 42 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks against the Golden State Warriors as a 19-year old.
This company is as elite as it's going to get for Victor Wembanyama, and it also shows just how unique his skillset is for his size. LeBron James and Durant stand at “only” 6'8 and 6'10, respectively, with the Spurs rookie towering over both of them by around eight to 10 inches.
This also bodes well for Wembanyama's chances of developing into a title-winning team centerpiece for the Spurs, similar to how James and Durant have been for most of their careers.