The San Antonio Spurs lost to the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets 132-120 on Sunday, but there were still some interesting Victor Wembanyama takeaways from the Frenchman's first matchup with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
As fascinating as it is to watch rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama now, what's often heard are comments along the lines of, ‘Just wait, 'til he figures it out…'
Wemby may be well on his way with another great individual performance in the Spurs' loss to the Nuggets. It means a 12th straight setback for the Silver and Black but it also marks yet another night in which the generational prospect left fans with three takeaways from a stellar performance.
Continues to be the aggressor
In just 25 minutes, Victor Wembanyama scored 22 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, collected 6 steals and blocked 4 shots. Outside of the loss, that's the Spurs headline from the night. This was the first 22/11/6/4 game in Spurs history and just the 12th since the NBA merger started early. Wemby scored the team's first seven points, touching the ball on their first five possessions. It's a stark difference from the start of the season a month ago when the star rookie would often get lost in the early going.
“He's playing aggressively, affecting the game in a lot of different ways,” Spurs head Coach Gregg Popovich said, “He's blocking shots, he's scoring, he's a willing assist man, very unselfish passer. But he goes to the next play. He doesn't worry about making a mistake.”
Perhaps no play better embodied his Hall of Fame coach's description than when Wemby attempted what would've been a show-stopping slam. The 7-foot-5 marvel took off from near the free-throw line before Julian Strawther tried to challenge the dunk. A foul resulted but Strawther escaped a clip that would've been a part of every Wembanyama highlight reel going forward.
“I didn’t think he’s going to dunk it from that far. He went up for the dunk and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s going to try to dunk it from that far.’ My life flashed before my eyes,” Strawther said after the game.
Defensive Menace
Especially when you consider Sunday's effort came against the defending NBA champions, Wembanayama's six steals and four blocks may have proven more impressive than his 22 points and 11 rebounds.
“I can see why they won it. It's a very, very balanced team. It feels like they know each other very well and it's a great challenge,” Wembanyama said of the Nuggets, “I think what's most beautiful about them is everyone knows their role.”
The six steals marked a career-high for the 19-year-old big man. At least one of them came as he defended two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic. Similarly, one of his four blocks swatted away a scoop from last year's Finals MVP.
In becoming the first player in NBA history to register 22 points, 11 rebounds, 6 steals, and 4 blocks in under 35 minutes, Wembanyama added to a ‘Paul Bunyan' like lore because he accomplished the numbers in just 25 minutes. At the age of 19.
His teammate, Devin Vassell, didn't hold back while also praising last June's top overall pick.
“(Expletive). Congrats, big fella, what the (expletive) was that? That's a crazy-ass stat line. We just got to continue helping him. He's obviously helping us. We just got to put this thing together to get some (bleeping) wins.”
“I like bringing something new to the game and I'm glad can already put my name in history a little bit. It's a good feeling. I'm a student of the game and the best gratitude I can have is having the chance to push it…make it even better, ” Wembanyama concluded.
About the Author
Hector Ledesma has been covering the Spurs in San Antonio since 2005, and now at ClutchPoints. An award-winning journalist born and raised in San Antonio, Hector has worked across all types of television and radio platforms. He attended Syracuse University, and also covers the NBA at large. More about Hector Ledesma
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