The San Antonio Spurs hit the jackpot when they won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. That gave them the privilege to select phenom Victor Wembanyama out of France with the first overall pick.
Watching Wembanyama highlights was something out of a video game. Taller than Rudy Gobert but with the perimeter skills of Kevin Durant was something to behold. While there have certainly been some growing pains in his rookie season, Wembanyama is living up to the hype during his first season in the NBA.
Through his first 32 games, Wembanyama is averaging 19.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals and an NBA-high 3.2 blocks in only 28.9 minutes per game. Despite his teammates seemingly freezing him out of the offense at times and Gregg Popovich experimenting with zero-point guard lineups, he is finding a ton of success on the court.
There has been some truly eye-popping performances from the rookie thus far this season, but arguably his most impressive came this week. Against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, the Spurs won their sixth game of the season, a 130-108 blowout.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Victor Wembanyama, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs Updates
In the game, Wembanyama played only 21:02, his least playing time in a game this season. Despite that, he still managed to record a triple-double, scoring 16 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists. With that performance, he became the youngest center in NBA history to record a triple-double at 20 years and six days old.
That is a truly impressive feat for Wembanyama, especially given how limited his playing time was in the game. Performances like that could quickly become commonplace for him as he continues adjusting to the speed and physicality of the NBA.
The results haven’t been there for the Spurs yet given heir ugly 6-30 record. But one thing is for certain; Wembanyama is a special talent and someone the franchise will be able to build around. Better days are on the horizon once he is surrounded by a strong supporting cast.
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