Victor Wembanyama has returned impressively. In the opening win of the San Antonio Spurs, the Frenchman immediately makes history.
Victor Wembanyama had not played an NBA game for eight months. On Thursday night, however, the 20-year-old impressively returned: He led his San Antonio Spurs to a 125:92 landslide victory against the Dallas Mavericks. The Frenchman dominated at will, wrote franchise history, and showed how much the summer has helped him both physically and mentally.
With 40 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks, 0 turnovers, and a shooting percentage of 70 percent – since the introduction of the block statistic in the 1977/78 season, no player has shown such performance at the start of the season. Wembanyama’s 40 points are also a record for a Spurs opening game. Head Coach Mitch Johnson raved: “He was out for eight months and played so spectacularly. But what impresses me most is the zero turnovers.”
Victor Wembanyama experiences a historic season start
Wembanyama unstoppable from the beginning
Already in the first quarter, the 2.24-meter “Rookie of the Year” dismantled the Mavericks’ large frontcourt lineup with Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II. Four of his first five shots found their target, including a powerful tomahawk dunk over top pick Cooper Flagg. Shortly after, Wemby fed the No. 2 pick Dylan Harper in a give-and-go, whereupon Harper reciprocated with an alley-oop pass for the Frenchman’s double-clutch jam.
Lively painfully felt the physical superiority. “The guy is huge. When he shoots over you, you can only hope he misses,” Davis also admitted. Hope rarely remained. With 8:28 on the clock before the break, Wembanyama completed a reverse alley-oop from sophomore guard Stephon Castle. Together, the big man and Castle accounted for 42 of the 60 Spurs points before halftime.
“The best is yet to come”
Castle revealed the recipe for success: “A lot of film sessions, countless repetitions. We worked all summer on knowing where he wants the ball – especially in pick-and-rolls or double teams.” The detailed work paid off in the 27th minute: Block against Lively, fastbreak pass from Castle, stepback three-pointer plus foul – a four-point play that extended the lead to 14 points. Mavericks rookie Flagg marveled: “You only realize on the court how unique he is.”
When Wembanyama was substituted five minutes before the end after a fadeaway for a 30-point lead, he reflected on the summer. “Every day we laid a stone to build a huge house. Today it felt like the day’s work was done,” he said. Since the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis in February, he has learned not to take anything for granted. “I move better, have more fun. And I know: The best is yet to come.”
With this attitude, Wembanyama has not only made an exclamation point throughout the Western Conference but also shown that his next developmental step has the potential to sustainably change the balance of power in the league.