Victor Wembanyama continues to amaze everyone. 38 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks. These were the statistics of the French prodigy this morning in the Spurs' last game against the Phoenix Suns of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker (121-132). Popovich's team thus adds its third victory of the season on an unforgettable night for which he is already one of the top stars in the North American league.
The 19-year-old basketball player broke precocity records that were set in the NBA by true legends of the championship. Wembanyama was not yet born when some of them were registered. This is the case of Shaquille O'Neal, who since 1992 held the mark of being the first rookie to score 100 points and 10 blocks in five games.
The young French power forward erased this statistic in one fell swoop, becoming the first player tonight to score more than 85 points, 35 rebounds and 10 blocks in his first five games as a professional. Wembanyama's 38 points are the third highest score in Spurs history among rookies, only surpassed by David Robinson with 41 and 39. Tim Duncan's record in his first year as a rookie was 35 points.
Furthermore, 'Wemby' was the player on his team who attempted the most shots (26) and scored (15), in addition to equaling his best record of assists (2) and triples (2). As if that were not enough, he spent 34 minutes on the Footprint Center court, only surpassed by Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins with 35.
In the case of total blocks achieved, Wembanyama is not far behind either. The NBA has been counting them since the 1973-1974 season and only two players under 20 years old had achieved more than 35 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks in a game: LeBron James in 2004 and Kevin Durant in 2008.
The NBA champion in 2017 and 2018 could not achieve victory for the Suns, despite adding 28 points and 6 rebounds to his personal locker. It wasn't enough for Devin Booker (31 points, 9 rebounds and 13 assists) either.
The next challenge for Wembanyama will be against the Toronto Raptors this Sunday at home, at the AT
