While the Spurs tie a dismal franchise record with 16 straight losses, Victor Wembanyama manages to slip his name into NBA history. We remember his performance against the Nuggets with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 blocks. Never before has a rookie signed such a stats line!
This time, against the Bulls, “Wemby” became the youngest player in history to sign a double “double-double” with 21 points and 20 rebounds. HAS 19 years and 338 days, the French pivot erases Dwight Howard, who was 19 years and… 342 days old in his first game with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. A performance which coincides with his first match as a pivot, since Gregg Popovich had decided to remove Zach Collins from the starting five against the Bulls who almost all play behind the 3-point line.
“Find the right recipe” to finally win
“It doesn’t have much value since we lost, but it’s still a great performance” recognizes Victor Wembanyamabefore discussing this shift at the pivot position. “I expected it, and it allows you to experiment with different areas of the game. It's always important and interesting for me. Every match is different, but we'll keep trying things until we find the right recipe. »
Paradoxically, it was the evening when Victor Wembanyama captured 20 rebounds that the Spurs were eaten up in the field since the Bulls captured 24 offensive rebounds! Enough to annoy Gregg Popovich.
“24 offensive rebounds is a lot, and I don’t even know if it’s ever happened” reacts the coach. “It's a lot of extra possessions that we have to manage… It's the worst sector of the game: rebounds. Many players are improving, but we can't forget the basics. The rebounds. It’s pretty basic.”
For stats fans, Wembanyama is the only Spurs rookie, with David Robinson, to sign a game with at least 20 points, 20 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks. Since counterattacks were taken into account in 1973, the Frenchman is only the 7th rookie in history to sign such a stat line alongside Shaquille O'Neal, Dikembe Mutombo, Pat Ewing, Ralph Sampson, Bill Walton and so Robinson.
