Five games into his first NBA season, guess who leads the San Antonio Spurs in scoring? Considering the headline of this piece, you won't need more than one attempt at the answer: Victor Wembanyama.
Not surprised, though? After all, what else would you expect from a generational talent joining a 22-win team?
How about this, then: after a week's worth of games into his first NBA season, Victor Wembanyama is already closer to the best players in the game than he is to fellow rookie lottery picks.
Here are five things the 19-year-old top overall pick has shown us in a handful of games.
Victor Wembanyama is a defensive menace
It's natural to focus on his tantalizing offensive skill set given his size. That height is also affecting games.
In the second of consecutive dramatic wins in Phoenix, Victor Wembanyama blocked or altered shots on the Suns' first four possessions. Opponents often move the ball opposite where he is and always have an eye on where the French phenom is lurking.
In addition to the shots he changes, Wemby has blocked at least one in every one of his first five games, including four in Tuesday's victory at the Phoenix Suns. Coincidentally, that has been the only contest in which he didn't record at least one steal, which is also impressive when you consider 7-footers don't often bother ball handlers or passing lines.
Shooting star
Victor Wembanyama's stroke is as good as advertised. Nowadays, big men who can shoot are the norm. But a 7-foot-4 player who can let it go coming off a screen or rise up off the dribble are traits we're now getting used to because of Wemby.
He has hit exactly half of the 76 shots taken to start the regular season. That percentage grows to 59% when you take away three-point attempts. But here's the thing, that 32% from beyond the arc is warped by an 0-6 outing in the season's second game, a game in which he led San Antonio to victory. 3-6, 2-6, and 3-5 performances from three-point land are what we've seen typically thus far from the Spurs rookie.
Leader
Victor Wembanyama not only leads the Spurs in scoring, he's leading them, period. Thanks to Thursday's 38-point “coming-out party,” his 20.6 points per game tops the Spurs.
More impressively, in that 132-121 win at Phoenix, the rookie star took control of a game in which Devin Vassell, who up until then had led the team in points, went out late in the first half. That night also might have give a glimpse of what's to come if San Antonio's offense continues to run through Wemby.
Clutch
After nearly rallying the Spurs in the season opener against Dallas and sending what ended up serving as the first win of his career into overtime with a late basket against the Houston Rockets, Victor Wembanyama hit two crucial shots in the final minute of the first win vs. the Suns. It set the stage for Keldon Johnson's game-winning steal and lay-in.
Then came Wemby's breakout, scoring 10 consecutive fourth-quarter points in the frenzied Phoenix arena after the home team had completely erased a 27-point deficit. The Spurs rookie has been incredible in the fourth quarter this season, often bouncing back after sluggish starts to perform when it matters most.
Victor Wembanyama is matching the game's best
That Victor Wembanyama 10-point run came against Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Neither of them scored a single point once Wembanyama started his outburst. It marked a second straight victory against Kevin Durant and a team expected to contend.
When facing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Wembanyama scored seven in a matter of minutes to bring the Spurs back before the team inexplicably went away from him. It's the only one of the four close games San Antonio has played that they've lost.
It's extremely early, and that's why putting any stock in what the other 2023 lottery picks are doing is haste. But while Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson, Amen and Ausar Thompson are nominally scoring in double figures and/or coming off the bench, Victor Wembanyama is taking the league by storm just five games in.
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