Getty Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs
Victor Wembanyana‘s historic performance in the San Antonio Spurs‘ 122-99 win over the Toronto Raptors on February 12 drew high praise from pundits on social media.
“He will be the best player on both ends of the floor for years to come!!!” ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins posted on X after the game. “The MVP and DPOY will belong to Wemby.”
Wembanyama, a rookie, finished the game with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks in just 29 minutes, making him the first player in NBA history to reach 25 points and 10 blocks in less than 30 minutes.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor agreed with Perkins on one prediction.
“Wemby is on my DPOY short list,” O’Connor posted on X, referring to the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
“Victor Wembanyana is not from here,” posted Brett Usher, host of “The Overstated NBA” podcast.
Victor Wembanyama is not from here
27-14-5-2-10 full highlights:
Wemby by the Numbers
With the performance, Wembanyama became the seventh player in NBA history to finish a game with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists. He joins Dwight Howard, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Ralph Sampson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Artis Gilmore.
Wembanyama also shot 71.4% from the field in the win, his highest field goal percentage of the season. On the year, he is averaging 20.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, bringing to mind Olajuwon, the Houston Rockets great.
“Rookie Victor Wembanyama posting prime Hakeem numbers at TWENTY years old,” Kubicek posted.
Wembanyama’s entire rookier season has trending toward being historic after being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft.
Only six players in NBA history have averaged at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks in a full season. The list, comprising entirely of Hall of Famers, includes Olajuwon, Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal. If Wembanyama can maintain those numbers down the stretch, he will be the only rookie on the list.
This season, he is leading all rookies in points per game, rebounds per game and blocks per game, and he is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors.
Wembanyama is also the only player this year to record at least 10 blocks in a game, and the only rookie to ever accomplish the feat other than David Robinson. Following the game, Wembanyama spoke to the media about what that meant to him, saying, “It’s great company to have my name next to him.”
“It’s great company to have my name next to him.”
– Wemby on being the first rookie since David Robinson with 10 blocks 🗣️
Despite His Personal Achievements, the Spurs Are Still Struggling
The Spurs have struggled for most of the year, sitting at 11-41 and last place in the Western Conference.
Wemby: 27, 14 … and 10 BLOCKS, at Toronto. Best of all, the SPURS WON EASILY. They’re still amazingly worst in the West by 5 games. Just don’t get that,” Fox Sports’ Skip Bayless posted on X.
However, insider Marc Stein reported on February 12 that Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks is a potential trade target for the Spurs this summer.
In the report, Stein wrote ““The decision to keep Murray, however, certainly has more than a few front offices out there believing that the Hawks could reach the point—provided this season doesn’t end well—that they entertain the most dramatic possible reset.” before mentioning that the Spurs are to thought to “lead the field in terms of interest at this early stage.”