Victor Wembanyama has lived up to the phenom hype so far this season. There have of course been some tough games and rookie moments throughout the first half of his first season in the league, but he is averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, and has a massive impact on the defensive end by leading the NBA in blocks per game and adding a steal per as well.
NBA: Can The Spurs Climb Out Of Their Hole?
This picture of Victor Wembanyama over 6″10 Marvin Bagley III is WILD 🤯📸 pic.twitter.com/cOUqdXSTcF
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 21, 2024
But as a team, things haven’t been pretty for the San Antonio Spurs so far this year.
After opening the season with a 3-2 record, the Spurs promptly lost 18 games in a row. They snapped the streak with their record at 4-25, but won just 2 of their next 12 games to keep themselves in the NBA basement, next to teams like the Pistons, Wizards, and Hornets. Wembanyama was still putting up numbers, but the team wasn’t getting any notches in the win column.
Things still aren’t great for the team, but things have made a slight, positive turn in the past couple of weeks. Perhaps miraculously, San Antonio won two straight games last week, one of which saw Wembanyama notch his first career triple double. They promptly lost four in a row following the victories, but were then able to notch another win this past Saturday night to give them 3 in their last 7.
3 Wins Lately, But Against Some Of The League’s Worst
Spurs staff have been advised never to phone Victor Wembanyama after 9:30. That’s when he reads for an hour and falls asleep.
Wemby is locked in. 📖
(via Mike Monroe / @TheAthletic) pic.twitter.com/ZI3sSZqY2d
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 22, 2024
The level of their opponents hasn’t exactly been the most elite. The back-to-back wins came against the Pistons and Hornets, and the most recent victory was over the Wizards. Those are quite literally the three worst teams in the NBA, who have a current combined record of 20-104.
But for a team that has suffered through some seriously tough skids this season, stringing together wins of any type can held turn things around. This is especially true for a young rookie like Wembanyama, as making losing a regular habit can be detrimental to one’s development.
The youngster has been a big reason for any recent success, though. Not only did he pick up the triple double, but he has been putting up All-Star-like numbers for the better part of three weeks.
Since January 4th, Wembanyama is averaging 23.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per contest while logging just 24.5 minutes. OKC’s Chet Holmgren is currently the leader on the odds board to win Rookie of the Year at -180, but Wembanyama isn’t far behind at +110.
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