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Michael C. Wright, ESPN Staff Writer
When the San Antonio Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, it was with the expectation that the 19-year-old Frenchman would be the face of the franchise, and one day, the league. Wembanyama finished his rookie season as the unanimous Rookie of the Year and was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.
He became only the second rookie in NBA history to lead the league in blocks (since blocks were officially recorded as a stat in 1973-74) joining Manute Bol, who did so in 1985-86. He also hit 128 3’s, making him the first player in NBA history with 250 blocks and 100 3-pointers in the same season.
“It’s crazy how spectacular his simple is,” Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson said Tuesday.
Wembanyama has showcased as much in his second season, along with the imagination and creativity already oozing from his game during a strong month of December in which he became the first player in NBA history to produce 300-plus points (342), 100-plus rebounds (120), 50-plus assists (58), 50-plus blocks (53) and 40-plus made 3-pointers (43) in a single month.
Wembanyama now ranks as the first in league annals to post 2,000-plus points, 1,000-plus rebounds and 200-plus 3-pointers within his first 100 outings. The latest development in Wembanyama’s game coalesced over the month of December as the result of locking in on solid fundamentals and combining them with all the awe-inspiring elements we’ve become accustomed to seeing from the generational talent.
“I don’t try to show off,” Wembanyama said. “But it’s true I try to find new ways to improve my game and find ways around the adjustments of the defenders, too. And I’m not scared of the unconventional. This is what it’s all about. I have to trust my instincts because I know the craziness happens by itself, and I don’t need to force it. “
The Spurs agree and won’t stand in the way of Wembanyama conducting business on his terms.
“Victor’s creativity is something that we won’t ever sacrifice,” Johnson said. “His imagination and commitment to be his own person and player is strong. The biggest thing is just continuing to understand and know when to utilize what weapons he has in certain situations.”
Ahead of Wembanyama’s 100th career game on Friday, the eve of his 21st birthday, here are some of the best statistical performances of his young career:
Wembanyama scores 38 in fifth NBA game: Nov. 2, 2023
In just his fifth career game, Wembanyama gave the NBA a preview of what he was capable of and why he was touted as a generational prospect.
San Antonio squandered a 27-point lead, leaving the game tied at 116 with 4:21 left to play against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
But a Wembanyama takeover immediately commenced at that point, and the rookie poured in 10 points during a 12-0 San Antonio run as the Spurs strolled out of the Footprint Center with a 132-121 victory.
“Somebody’s got to do it,” Wembanyama said of the late-game takeover.
He rang up 38 points and 10 rebounds with two blocks while Durant scored 28 points and Devin Booker added 31.
Wembanyama’s 38 points tied for the third-most by a rookie in franchise history behind David Robinson, who in 1990 put together games of 41 and 39 points.
“Just trying to figure out what he is because we have never seen him before,” said Booker.
Wembanyama had logged a triple-double before, but the one on Feb. 12 hit different because it came as the result of 10 blocks. Swatting away a shot by Toronto’s Gradey Dick in the fourth quarter of a 122-99 win, Wembanyama logged the league’s first triple-double with blocks in more than three years.
Wembanyama finished that night with 27 points, 14 rebounds, 10 blocks and 5 assists in 29 minutes, becoming the first player to tally 10 blocks and 5 assists in fewer than 30 minutes played, according to ESPN Research.
The 20-year-old matched that 10-block performance last month, also scoring 30 points in a 114-94 triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s worth noting Wembanyama sat out the final 8 ½ minutes of that contest.
He became the first player to knock down four 3-pointers with 10 blocks in a game, and the first player under age 21 to post multiple games with double-figure blocks since 1974, when blocks became an official NBA statistic.
Wembanyama fell one assist short of his first 5X5 game on Feb. 22 in Sacramento. But 384 miles down the road in Los Angeles the following night, Wembanyama logged a 5X5 performance in a 123-118 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Wembanyama joined Jamaal Tinsley (2001) as the only rookies to produce a 5X5 game, which is comprised of at least 5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks. He also became just the second player since Michael Jordan to log 5 blocks and 5 steals in consecutive outings.
Interestingly, all Wembanyama could think about after that performance was whether Jordan accomplished that statistical milestone in a victory.
He did.
Wembanyama wouldn’t put together another 5×5 performance until his second season. On Oct. 31 against the Utah Jazz, Wembanyama racked up 25 points and 9 rebounds to go with 7 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks, becoming the third player with multiple 5X5 games all-time behind Hakeem Olajuwon (six) and Andrei Kirilenko (three). And this time, Wembanyama got the win, too.
The Frenchman made it clear that night he wants more.
“I need to get my standards up when I don’t get 5x5s because I am able to help my team in all those areas,” he said. “It should be a consistent thing.”
Another epic duel transpired in the spring of Wembanyama’s rookie season, when he scored a then career-high 40 points to go with 20 rebounds as San Antonio outlasted a feisty New York Knicks team carried by Jalen Brunson, who poured in 61 points.
An excited Wembanyama launched the game ball into the stands after the win.
Meanwhile, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich admitted in the aftermath of Wembanyama’s 40-20 gem that he often forgets the franchise cornerstone is just 20 years old.
“I’m sure I do because when you’re looking at a young kid, if he turns it over [or] doesn’t catch it strong, I’m on his a–,” Popovich said. “It just shows what he’s gonna be when he understands all the physicality that’s coming at him all the time, and what to do about it. Fortunately, he’s also a hell of a passer. So, he’s pretty special.”
That night marked just the second time in NBA history, according to ESPN Research, that one player produced a 40-point, 20-rebound performance and another logged a 60-point outing. The other instance took place in 1961 during a game in which Elgin Baylor scored 63 points and Wilt Chamberlain posted 78 points and 43 rebounds.
Nobody knew it then, but the Wembanyama-Brunson battle served as a precursor to a rematch that would unfold nine months later on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden.
“This season has only been going on for just some months, and I’ve just witnessed so much greatness and I want to be a part of it,” Wembanyam said. “I’ve always wanted to. But [now] more and more, seeing that I’m already able to compete with those guys. I’m not there. But I’m on the right path. I know it, and I”m gonna get there one day soon.”
Spurs point guard Chris Paul has played with 232 teammates over a 20-year Hall of Fame career. But none of them left Paul shaking his head like he did in the aftermath of Wembanyama’s career-best 50-point showing in a 139-130 win over the Washington Wizards.
Paul couldn’t recall how many 50-point games he’d been a part of, but he’s certain he’s never seen one quite like the night of Nov. 13. Wembanyama played 32 minutes against the Wizards, but reached 50 points in 26 minutes.
Wembanyama hit the 50-point mark on a long 2 over Corey Kispert with 8:49 remaining from the left wing. In the third quarter, Wembanyama shot a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-4 from 3-point range for 19 points with four rebounds, one assist and a block.
“Very impressive,” the point guard said.
Perhaps even more so is the manner in which Wembanyama blistered the Wizards. Given the magnitude of the Frenchman’s 3-point shooting in that matchup, it’s easy to forget his three dunks, the fact he scored 14 of San Antonio’s 40 points in the paint and blocked three shots.
Wembanyama added fuel to the debate that night about his 3-point-heavy shot diet by drilling a career-best eight 3-pointers on 50% from deep.
Still, Johnson expressed satisfaction with Wembanyama’s shot selection.
“If you looked at them, they were good, rhythm shots,” Johnson said. “When he starts to make them, it seems like that opens up other avenues for him to attack the basket. He can up-fake people and go buy them.”
Wembanyama became the fourth-youngest player to score 50 points in a game and the tallest, at 7-foot-4. Over the first 67 seconds of that outing, Wembanyama scored or assisted on four consecutive field goals to help the Spurs seize an early 13-3 lead.
“I ain’t ever had 50,” Paul said. “So, that’s tough. And we won.”
It took Wembanyama 83 career games to produce his first 50-point performance, the fourth-fewest games to reach that milestone since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976-77.
Instead of celebrating after the win, Wembanayama hit the weight room for a quick lift.
“I love to celebrate the small wins and the big wins for a certain amount of time,” he said. “I’m going to give myself a little bit of time to reflect. It’s definitely a big milestone. It’s kind of a private club.”
Johnson warned before the game about Wembanyama’s penchant for shining on the game’s biggest stages. And it doesn’t get much grander than Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day.
“He embraces the moment, and I think when there’s really good players who put in the preparation and have the right mindset, typically you see them thrive in the big moments,” Johnson said.
Making his Christmas Day debut, Wembanyama scored a game-high 42 points, which registered as the most by a visitor on Christmas at Madison Square Garden, in addition to contributing 18 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks in a 117-114 loss.
Wembanyama became the third player in league history after Wilt Chamberlain (1959 and 1961) and Nikola Jokic (2022) to score 40-plus points with 15-plus rebounds in a Christmas game. Wembanyama’s 42 points ranked third in NBA history for a player making his Christmas Day debut behind Chamberlain (45) and Tracy McGrady (43).
“I don’t even know really the history by heart of Christmas games in history,” Wembanyama said. But he admitted to feeling the special atmosphere of a Christmas Day game at Madison Square Garden.
Wembayama placed his showing in “probably [the] top 10%” of performances of his young career.
Matt Williams of ESPN Research contributed to this story.