San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama has been everything he was advertised to be when the Spurs took him with the No. 1 overall pick in last summer’s draft.
It seems like a long time ago that the 7-4 Frenchman made his NBA debut against the Mavericks on opening night in San Antonio. His progress has been constant and consistent as Wembanyama has averaged better than 20 points and 10 rebounds pretty much all season. And he’s doing it in just 28.4 minutes per game, roughly 10 minutes less per night than Luka Dončić plays.
The 10-block triple-double Wembanyama had on Monday at Toronto served as a defining moment of his young career.
And the Spurs have been adamant about bringing the center who turned 20 last month along slowly.
“I think he’s still at 27, 28 (minutes) or something like that,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “It’s amazing the numbers that he’s getting for that few minutes, but we’ve decided that that’s the best way to bring him along right now.”
However, that philosophy might not last much longer, Popovich said.
“I think toward the end of the season, we’ll probably raise it a little bit,” he said. “We just had three or four weekends in a row with three (games) in four nights or something like that, so it was fun to see how he’d react.
“Once or twice, he reacted like a rookie. He hit the wall for sure. It’s what they all do, but there was a point there where he had played more games than all of last year in half the time. That’s quite an experience for somebody.”
Wembanyama made his presence known quickly on Wednesday. He faced up on the perimeter against the Mavericks’ center Daniel Gafford, then stepped back and went over the 6-10 Gafford for a three-pointer.
Wembanyama had 12 points in just six first-quarter minutes. He finished with 26 points, but just six after halftime. He also had nine rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots.
And he wasn’t shy about shooting the three-pointer, something he’s done better as the season has progressed. He’s hitting 31.9 percent overall from beyond the arc, but since Jan. 1, he’s made 36.1 percent.
“He’s worked hard at the mechanics – getting ready to catch and shoot,” Popovich said. “It’s a real art. If you watch a great shooter, that shooter is ready to catch the ball before the shot ever comes about.
“He’s learned how to chase space, how to get balanced, and how to space his feet even so that he’s got more strength, using his legs more than his arms because he can get a shot any time he wants. It doesn’t matter where he is on the floor, he can just go up and shoot. That doesn’t mean it’s a good shot, but he’s learning about how to be balanced, where his best shots are, and how to be fundamentally sound.”
The Mavericks know they will be seeing a lot of Wembanyama as the years go on. San Antonio is in a rebuilding mode, but they have solid young pieces around the big rookie.
And nothing they saw on Wednesday surprised them.
“He’s had an incredible rookie year,” coach Jason Kidd said. “There were a lot of high expectations and I think he handled that well. He’s in a great situation with a franchise that has had (superstar centers) before and they’ve all become hall of famers.
“There are some plays that only he can make offensively and defensively.”
That meant the Mavericks had to be aware of Wembanyama’s presence on the floor, which they did a solid job of after the first quarter.
Briefly: The Mavericks were without Maxi Kleber, who was held out as a precautionary measure, Kidd said, for his dislocated right little toe. “I think it’s just management. I don’t think there’s any setbacks,” Kidd said. Also, Dante Exum remained out with right knee bursitis. Kidd had this update on Exum’s outlook for next week when the Mavericks reconvene for a Tuesday practice: “Hopefully, he’s back for practice Tuesday. If he’s back Tuesday, I can give you a better answer (on if he’ll return next Thursday vs. Phoenix). His workouts have been great up to this point. We’re expecting him back after the break, but on Tuesday, I think I can answer that better.” . . . The Mavericks were all ready to scatter after the game for their All-Star break festivities. Except for Luka and Dereck Lively, who are headed to Indianapolis for the weekend. Before Wednesday’s game, both players were recognized at center court for their selections into the All-Star Game on Sunday (Luka) and the Rising Stars Game on Friday (Lively).
X: @ESefko
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