Wembanyama posts electrifying stats against Jokic

The defeats continue to fall on the side of the Spurs - the franchise that took the number one pick in the 2023 Draft who still cannot see any real change in terms of the collective figures. But the progression of their most exciting player, Victor Wembanyama, suggests that things will be on their way up before too long.

The team has already lost 14 of the 17 games they have played so far this season. The last one, a 132-120 loss at the Ball Arena against the Nuggets who are defending the NBA champion crown. So Sunday’s game was never going to be a simple task for Gregg Popovich’s men. And while it’s true that victory was never in danger for Malone’s team, San Antonio staged a late rally, ending the last quarter 25-36, which suggests they are getting closer to a homogeneous game with which to compete with great teams like the one they had opposite this Sunday.

Ultimate test

Denver is the team to beat this season - they were the last team standing in the previous one and have set the pace in the NBA since 2022. They have entered the new season strong, posting 11 wins - of which eight have been in their fiefdom, and they are going all out to reconquer the title.

The individual duel of the day was the one between Nikola Jokic, two-time NBA MVP (three, in the eyes of many fans), and the aforementioned Wembanyama. For the Frenchman Sunday’s game was an opportunity to learn alongside the center with the most control at the moment, another European, and, in the process, stand out in such a favorable setting.

Wemby’s double figures

The Serbian took no prisoners even though his opponent is still just a tender teenager: 39 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists and 17/29 from the field. Without counting the numbers, everything that ‘Joker’ projects translated against the Spurs into authority in the paint to, from there, build this new success. Wemby however was not intimidated and posted an unparalleled statistical line: 22 points, 11 rebounds, 6 steals, 4 blocks and 2 assists in 25 minutes...

Nobody had done it before. That combination of steals and blocks (10, which only Josh Smith and Kevin Garnett had achieved playing a game as a rookie) is what gives him the unicorn touch - that certain something that we are going to see more and more of from Wemby this season.