We were expecting a vengeful Kevin Durant, and we saw a Victor Wembanyama in “alien” mode!
The equivalent of the “Wemby” which amazed people a year ago in Las Vegas. Except that at the time, it was against the kids from Team Ignite, while that night, the Frenchman knocked out NBA stars, including two superstars, with his 38 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. All at 15 out of 26 on shots, with very clean 3 out of 6 at 3-points. And of course victory at the end. The second in Phoenix!
“The NBA has the greatest athletes in the world, but so far, things are going pretty well” reacts inside Spurs, author of an exceptional end to the match! While the Suns had erased a 27-point deficit to equalize at 116-116 four minutes from the end, the Frenchman will take the match squarely into his own hands. Like the older ones, all the balls go through him, and he scores 10 points at 100%! Opposite, the Suns only scored 5 points at 1/10 on shots…
Gregg Popovich can’t believe his eyes
“Someone had to do it” answers Victor Wembanyama about his “money time”. “ Tomorrow it might be one of my teammates.”
More than his total points, it was the way in which the Frenchman weighed in at the end of the match. Defense, 3-pointers, free throws, a dunk, then this mid-range shot. “Wemby” made the total at the Suns in front of an audience as stunned as they were admiring.
“Every game we try to find the best place to hurt”continues Victor Wembanyama. “Today it might have been this way, tomorrow it will be someone else. This is how great teams work. »
Spurs are still far from being a great team, but their 37 assists for just 8 turnovers prove that they are learning quickly. It’s still messy, and we saw that the team could alternate between the very good and the very, very bad. But when you have a phenomenon like Victor Wembanyama, sometimes you just need to give him all the balls to make the difference.
The second highest total for a French rookie
“He’s a multi-faceted player” summarizes Gregg Popovich. “He will find the unmarked player. He has confidence in himself. He did some incredible things. This makes a very good combination. »
On arrival, “Wemby” is the fastest Frenchman to reach the 30-point mark, and he is already starting to write a few lines in the history books since his 38 points are the 2nd best total of a French rookie after Rodrigue Beaubois’ 40 points. We can also remember that it is the 3rd highest total for a Spurs rookie.
Next outing of the phenomenon, Sunday, in “prime time” for France and it will be against the Raptors.
| Victor Wembanyama | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2023-24 | SAN | 4 | 27 | 46.0 | 26.3 | 70.0 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 16.3 |
| Total | 4 | 27 | 46.0 | 26.3 | 70.0 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 16.3 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
