The San Antonio Spurs haven’t done a whole lot of winning during the 2023-24 NBA season. They have easily the worst record in the Western Conference, a full five games behind the Portland Trail Blazers who are the second worst, and just a handful of games better than the lowly Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons. But given how bright their future is with Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs have already “won” in plenty of ways.
Wembanyama Has Been Other-Wordly In Past 8 Games
Victor Wembanyama over the last 8 games:
27 PTS, 14 REB, 10 BLK, 2 STL
26 PTS, 9 REB, 3 BLK, 1 STL
19 PTS, 13 REB, 5 BLK, 5 STL
27 PTS, 10 REB, 5 BLK, 5 STL
22 PTS, 10 REB, 5 BLK, 1 STL
17 PTS, 13 REB, 4 BLK, 2 STL
28 PTS, 13 REB, 5 BLK, 2 STL
31 PTS, 12 REB, 6 BLK, 1 STL
Crazy pic.twitter.com/JnkuADHK2i
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 4, 2024
While there were questions about whether he would pan out to be the superstar that some made him out to be, the physical aura and his skill set were undeniable. Wembanyama is an attraction in of himself before the game even starts. Fans gather, and home and on the road, in order to catch a glimpse of the 7 foot 4 inch rookie phenom and the way he moves and performs on the basketball court. And while he has plenty of things to work on as far as his game is concerned, he is already putting up numbers that would be impressive for even a 7-year veteran.
His numbers have been impressive all season long, but Wembanyama has truly turned things on since just before the All-Star break. In his first 47 games played, he averaged 20.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game, enough to be a co-favorite for the Rookie of the Year award with Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But Wembanyama has pulled ahead in the race for the ROY honors, as he has been playing out his mind since February 12th.
Block Numbers At Nearly 6 Per Game
Victor Wembanyama joins David Robinson (2x) and Tim Duncan as the only rookies in NBA history to record 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 5+ blocks in a game. pic.twitter.com/mtmKd0OYEW
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) March 4, 2024
In their last 8 games, the Spurs are a respectable 3-5, and their star rookie has raised his scoring average to 24.6 points, is pulling down 11.8 rebounds. But the most impressive could be his defensive numbers, as he has boosted his blocks number to 5.4 per, and he is nabbing nearly 2.5 steals per contest as well. He is shooting 42% on three pointers at 5.6 attempts per game, and is also fishing out 5.3 assists.
In total, he has blocked 43 shots over the past 8 games.
The Spurs don’t have much to play for over the final 21 games of the season. They are well out of contention, and should instead be in line to be one of the three teams with an equal shot at landing the draft’s top pick once again in 2025.