The Frenchman Victor Wembanyama continues to make people talk in the NBA. With his performance on Tuesday, he completed his first 82 games (the equivalent of an entire regular season) with numbers that place him among the elite of NBA debutants. Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Blake Griffin and Sidney Wicks joined the group, the others who in the history of the league have been so versatile as to add 1,700 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists in their first 82 games . And to celebrate, this Thursday he broke his scoring record in an NBA game against the Washington Wizards. He scored 50 points even though he only played 32 minutes.
Wembanyama, rookie of the year last season, is the fourth-youngest player to score 50 points in the NBA, only behind Brandon Jennings, LeBron James and Devin Booker. He is called to mark an era in the American professional basketball league, although for now the team is not very much with him. Wembanyama’s previous high was 49 points in a 130-126 overtime victory against the New York Knicks last March. This time, he reached 50 points with almost nine minutes left in the game.
The center’s performance gave the Spurs the victory this Thursday against the weak Washington team (139-130). In addition to the 50 points, Wembanyama added six rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal. He had a 50% success rate on his 16 three-point attempts, on par with elite shooters. Furthermore, of those eight triples, he made 10 of 13 on two-pointers, on a day when he had no opposition near the rim.
After his first season in the NBA, the Frenchman has gained muscle, which together with his overwhelming height makes him almost unstoppable near the rim. He is a natural shot stopper thanks to his size and this year he is more successful with the basket.
The Frenchman leads his team so far this season in four of the five main statistics. He is the leading scorer, with 22.3 points per game; the top rebounder, with 10.2; the one who puts up the most blocks, with 3.8 per game, and the one who steals the most balls, 1.3. He has a 47.1% field goal shooting percentage, including 34.3% on three-pointers.
The Spurs are still one of the weakest teams in the Western Conference, but they no longer count games for losses, as in the worst stretch of last season. They have six wins and six losses in 12 games. They will have to fight hard to get into the playoffs, but at least they can allow themselves to dream about it.
The Cavaliers are already 13-0
Despite his record, Wembanyama’s score was not the highest on Thursday. The Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo had a spectacular game against the Detroit Pistons in which he added 59 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists, in his case in 44 minutes and with overtime included. The Milwaukee Bucks player put the team on his back to try to give it a break in the crisis he is going through. They have only won four of the first eight games. Antetokounmpo is the second-best scorer in the league, averaging 30.7 points per game.
Meanwhile, the revelation of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers, beat the 76ers 106-114 in Philadelphia. With this, they have won the first 13 games of the season and become the sixth team with the best start in the league in its history, including its predecessor the ABA. The Golden State Warriors’ record of 24 wins from the 2015-2016 season seems a long way off, but the second-best mark is 15 wins.
To match it, they have the Bulls ahead of them at home this Friday and the Hornets on Sunday, two very affordable rivals for the team led by Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. Their 16th matchup of the season looks more complicated: the champions, the Celtics, at TD Garden. Those from Boston will also play for their survival in the NBA Cup after their surprising defeat in the first game of the group stage against the Atlanta Hawks.
