Victor Wembanyama's Historic Triple-Double Wows NBA Fans as Spurs Rout Pistons
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRT
Featured Columnist IVJanuary 11, 2024
Here's how Victor Wembanyama's night went on Wednesday—the rookie big man put up the first triple-double of his career in about 21 minutes as the San Antonio Spurs (5-30) rolled to a 130-108 blowout win over the hapless Detroit Pistons (3-34).
The final numbers for Wembanyama's historic evening were absurd, as the French phenom put up 16 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and no turnovers while shooting 6-of-16 from the field.
NBA @NBAWith this assist, Victor Wembanyama secures the first triple-double of his young career 👏<br><br>16 PTS / 12 REB / 10 AST<br><br>Spurs-Pistons | Live on the NBA App<br>📲 <a href="https://t.co/rQcHkGO92p">https://t.co/rQcHkGO92p</a> <a href="https://t.co/qDoU6yAma5">pic.twitter.com/qDoU6yAma5</a>
Some of his assists on the night were absolutely silly:
And then, of course, there were his normal "he barely lifted off the ground but still easily dunked" highlights because... look, the man is very, very tall.
So to recap—a 20-year-old posted the first triple-double of his career just 32 games into his rookie season, nearly did so in the fewest minutes required to hit the benchmark in NBA history and became the youngest center in the league's existence to do so.
Just chew on that for a second. Wemby has been scorching hot in his last six games, and it's a testament to his overall impact on the court that his most impressive showing in that streak was the only one where he didn't reach 20 points.
Suffice to say, NBA fans and pundits alike were amazed by the all-around performance:
Jonathan Givony @DraftExpressThe closest Wembanyama had gotten to a triple-double before? He had 22 points, 15 rebounds and 9 blocks with Nanterre in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament on February 8, 2020. <a href="https://t.co/ttf11lSRHP">https://t.co/ttf11lSRHP</a> <a href="https://t.co/JeUAEG0LQp">pic.twitter.com/JeUAEG0LQp</a>
NBA University @NBA_UniversityWemby's passing is his most advanced offensive skill. The angles he can pass from (off the bounce too!) are unprecedented & vision/willingness is there<br><br>Defense/play-finishing are obvious—but being an elite distribution hub can make him the two-way game wrecking force we hope for
"He's a very good passer," head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters regarding Wemby's big performance on Wednesday after the game. "He was a good passer before he got here."
"We went to him a lot more tonight," he added. "We made him the focus offensively in the minutes he played. ... We're learning where he wants the ball, where he feels most comfortable, and the other guys are learning how to cut around him. We had some good cuts out on the court, and he finds those people. If they move, he'll find them."
JeffGSpursKENS5 @JeffGSpursZoneMcDermott says the team was unselfish v Pistons, says the game is slowing down for Wembanyama <br><br>Says the team is starting to turn the corner, that it wasn't going to happen overnight but the team is competing lately. (via Bally's Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/porvida?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#porvida</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nba?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nba</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gospursgo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gospursgo</a>
They hype for Wemby was immense heading into his rookie season, but he's managed to handle it with aplomb. The Wembanyama Experience continues to be special to witness.