Wembanyama Is Already Among the Top 5 Players in the World
Another starring performance from Victor Wembanyama, increasingly in full All-Star mode. His showing did not go unnoticed and even earned praise from JJ Redick
In the game against the heavily shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers, sidelined by the absences of their big three – Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves – the Spurs star Victor Wembanyama once again demonstrated his ability to dominate an NBA floor.
After pouring in 37 points in the first half and 40 overall – 25 of them in the opening quarter alone – and essentially putting the game away with an entire period to spare, the Frenchman drew praise from Lakers head coach JJ Redick.
He’s one of the five best players in the world. He’s put that stamp on himself. In my opinion, when you talk about him, it’s not enough to look at the statistics because defensively teams try to avoid him. There’s a real awareness you have to have when he’s on the floor on defense. He impacts the game in different ways that don’t show up on the stat sheet. Beyond all that, he’s unique as a human being.
JJ Redick
Another high-level performance that disproves the expectations surrounding his arrival in the NBA: many believed the Frenchman would need time to adjust to the physicality of the American game, but thanks to his versatility and athletic tools already developed before making the move to the States, Wembanyama quickly established himself as one of the best players in the league.
Not only has he recently earned his second selection in three years to the All-Star Game in Los Angeles next weekend, but he is also leading, alongside De’Aaron Fox, the San Antonio Spurs toward the top of the Western Conference, at a time when the Thunder – who looked unbeatable at the start of the season – are going through a difficult stretch.