MILWAUKEE —Less than two minutes into Wednesday night’s showdown between the Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama took a pass in semi-transition, pump-faked and floated into a one-legged 3-pointer. A few minutes later, he drove baseline, challenged Giannis Antetokounmpo at the rim and double-clutched for an absurd finish.
The rest of the night didn’t go to plan 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 win. 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 going for 25 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in just his second matchup against the Frenchman. “He’s probably one of the most talented players I’ve ever watched on TV, ever played against. This is his second year in the league, he’s way better than his first year, he’s gonna keep on improving and he has a very, very bright future.
“He’s just gotta keep working on his game, keep working on himself, keep playing the game with joy and he’s gonna be the face of the league for a lot of years.”
Damian Lillard wasn’t battling one-on-one with Wembanyama, but he still had to contend with his defensive presence and had high praise for his impact.
“It’s different,” Lillard said of being on the floor 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 guarding on the perimeter, he’s always in range to block a shot or change a shot. Then offensively, he can do everything. He’s handling the ball, he’s shooting deep threes, he’s going off the dribble, he’s in the paint.
“It’s more different when he’s on the floor than any other player that I’ve played against because of his size and length and his skillset.”
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 put up at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for an entire season.
