MILWAUKEE–Less than two minutes into Wednesday night’s matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama received a pass in semi-transition, faked and floated into a one-leg triple. A few minutes later, he advanced from the baseline, challenged Giannis Antetokounmpo at the rim and grabbed twice for an absurd finish.
The rest of the night did not go as planned for Wembanyama or the Spurs. He finished with just 10 points, his second-fewest in a game this season, 10 rebounds and three blocks as the Bucks cruised to a 121-105 victory. But even in one of his least memorable performances of the season, Wembanyama impressed his All-Star counterparts.
“He’s an incredible talent,” Antetokounmpo said after scoring 25 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in just his second meeting against the Frenchman. “He’s probably one of the most talented players I’ve ever seen on television and played against. This is his second year in the league, he’s much better than his first year, he’ll continue to improve and he’s a very, very bright future talent.
“He just has to keep working on his game, keep working on himself, keep playing with joy and he’ll be the face of the league for many years to come.”
Damian Lillard wasn’t going one-on-one with Wembanyama, but he still had to deal with his defensive presence and received high praise for his impact.
“It’s different,” Lillard said of being on the court with the 7-foot-3 phenom. “Even when he’s beat, he’s not beat. And even when you beat your guy and he’s defending on the perimeter, he’s always in range to block a shot or change a shot. Then, offensively, he can do everything. He’s running the game. ball, he’s shooting deep threes, he’s coming off the dribble, he’s in the paint.
“He’s more different when he’s on the court than any other player I’ve played against because of his size, length and skills.”
For the season, Wembanyama is averaging 25.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and a league-leading four blocks per game on 47.9% shooting, including 35.4% from behind the arc . Since blocks were first recorded during the 1973-74 season, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing are the only other players to score at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks during an entire season.
