San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama watches his shot throughout the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
INDIANAPOLIS — Victor Wembanyama’s first NBA All-Star experience will probably be hectic, identical to all the things else has seemed up to now in his rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs.
He’s going to the Tech Summit, the league’s thinktank that kicks off the All-Star festivities on Friday morning. He’ll have a slate of media responsibilities. He’ll play within the Rising Stars games Friday and the talents competition on Saturday. There will certainly be opportunities for as many other appearances as he desires to make.
It’s so much. If how Wembanyama has handled his first few months within the NBA is any indication, he’ll make all of it seem to be a breeze.
“Truthfully, my mind has been so focused on our season that I haven’t thought of it an excessive amount of,” Wembanyama said. “It’s probably going to hit once I’m there. And it’s definitely going to be a special experience. I’m looking forward to it. And I ponder the way it is to see … the All-Star teams, seeing this many great players together.”
The 20-year-old, nearly 7-foot-4 rookie’s initiation to the NBA world has drawn rave reviews in some ways. He’s the favourite to win rookie of the 12 months, he just had a triple-double with blocks as one in all the categories — the primary within the league in greater than three years – and his numbers are on a historic pace.
Wembanyama is headed into the All-Star break averaging 20.5 points, 10 rebounds and three.2 blocks. The last player to average 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots per game was Shaquille O’Neal in 1999-2000. He won the MVP award that season — averaging 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds and three blocks.
If Wembanyama stays over that 20-10-3 stat threshold, he’d grow to be the tenth player to accomplish that for a full season. The opposite nine: Hakeem Olajuwon (who did it nine times), David Robinson (seven), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (seven), Alonzo Mourning (three), Patrick Ewing (three), O’Neal (twice), Bob McAdoo (once), Elvin Hayes (once) and Bob Lanier (once).
Those nine are all within the Hall of Fame. Wembanyama isn’t there yet, obviously. The primary few months of his NBA life sure make it seem to be he’ll at some point be headed down that path.
“Wemby, I can’t say his name accurately, that guy, it’s crazy for the way talented and the way big he’s,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Added Heat center Bam Adebayo: “He’s going to be great on this league. He has the suitable coach around him. He has the suitable mindset. He desires to win. You’ll be able to see it in the best way he plays. He passes the ball, he does the little things, he’s 7-4 and doing stuff like that. I feel he’ll do great on this league.”
The playoffs aren’t within the cards for San Antonio this 12 months: The Spurs are 11-44, mired at the underside of the Western Conference. There’s no real rush, even with a 75-year-old coach in Gregg Popovich — a five-time NBA champion who continues to be within the technique of determining what’ll be best for Wembanyama when the Spurs make their pivot from rebuilder to contender.
“You don’t really know where a player feels most comfortable or where he’s most expert or where he could be most successful until you watch them play for some time,” Popovich said. “And that’s at each ends of the court. So. I just thought it was higher, as an alternative of constructing my mind up ahead of time what he needed, it’d be higher to look at him.”
FULE–Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs looks on within the third quarter during their game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on January 19, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images/AFP
It’s a special approach than he used with Tim Duncan a generation ago when he was the No. 1 pick coming to the Spurs, and that’s since the players were in very different places when it comes to development once they were drafted. Duncan played 4 years of faculty basketball. Wembanyama was a teen when he arrived in San Antonio from France.
The Spurs have been cautious with him, minding his minutes, limiting some back-to-backs. He may play more down the stretch of the season, if the Spurs determine that’s best.
“Now we all know rather more about him,” Popovich said.
Everybody does. The reviews are in, they usually’re of the rave variety. The rookie of the 12 months race seemed very much up for grabs just a few weeks ago; Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, deservedly, was being considered by some pundits because the frontrunner. That seems to have modified of late.
“Wembanyama’s fun to look at,” O’Neal said. “His team won’t be playing that great, but he’s playing great.”
The rookie won’t be on the court on Sunday for the All-Star Game; that’s only a matter of time. This weekend isn’t about that. It’s about introducing the sport’s next star — the newest name in a logjam of young international stars — to the league’s showcase weekend.
“In fact, being chosen as an All-Star would have been an incredible achievement especially in my rookie 12 months,” Wembanyama said. “Truthfully, my focus is more on attempting to win games and recovering as a team than this. But, in fact, that is motivation.”
