At this point, if Victor Wembanyama is playing, you better have the Statead tab open, because you’ll likely be checking some kind of historical stat line when the game ends.
It happened again on Saturday, when Wembanyama became the sixth player in history (and notably the youngest) to record 30 points and 10 blocks in a game, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (5 times), David Robinson (3 times), Artis Gilmore, Dwight Howard and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Take a look at Wembanyama’s finishing line in San Antonio’s 114-94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers: 30 points, 10 blocks, seven rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes. The guy blocked a shot for every three minutes he was on the court!
Wembanyama also made four of his eight three-pointers, making him the first player in history to block 10 shots and make four three-pointers in the same game. This combination of rim protection and shooting is unprecedented.
Seriously, the guy has half of the league’s four 10-block games since 2019 (mention Clint Capela and Hassan Whiteside) and, according to Spurs public relationsHe has also reached 200 3-pointers faster than Stephen Curry, James Harden and Ray Allen, the three most prolific 3-point shooters of all time.
Yes, that’s a sign of the modern game. Curry and Harden, and especially Allen, came into the league when 3-pointers were still a small part of an acceptable shooting diet, and Wemby is nowhere near an all-time shooter. Hell, he’s not even an average player if we look solely at his percentages up to this point.
Still, it’s crazy to consider that a player this size can shoot like that.
Back to the blocks: Wemby has recorded at least one block in 62 consecutive games, surpassing David Robinson for the Spurs franchise record. In his last two games, Wembanyama has recorded 72 points, 14 blocks and 11 three-pointers.
The most important thing is that the Spurs are winning. They are now 15-13, having won four of their last five. If the season ended today, the Spurs would be in the Play-In tournament and Wembanyama would be a virtual lock for All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year. Oh, by the way, he’s 20 years old.
