Ten days after notching a ten-block triple-double, Victor Wembanyama added a five-by-five.
Victor Wembanyama got his first 5x5 and the 15th in NBA history:
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 24, 2024
27 points
10 rebounds
8 assists
5 steals
5 blocks
At age 20 he’s the youngest ever to do it (Andrei Kirilenko was 22). He also did it in 31 minutes, the fewest minutes ever (34 by Marcus Camby). pic.twitter.com/UiP3lqBliw
The rookie Frenchman became the 15th player to ever to notch at least five in five different statistical categories. He was two assists short of another triple-double, with 27 points and ten rebounds, but also added five blocks and five steals.
Some of those blocks were hard to believe.
met him at the rim pic.twitter.com/3WAZyPVmHW
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 24, 2024
He's now leading the NBA with 166 blocks on the season. That's 3.3 blocks per game, a mark that would be ninth-best in the last 25 years.
But his long arms are useful on the other end as well, as seen when Wembanyama scored through contact to keep the Spurs close in the final quarter, though they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 123-118.
a work of art pic.twitter.com/M3LnVaUHkZ
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 24, 2024
Wembanyama also became the second player ever to block five shots and grab five steals in consecutive games in the last 40 years, when blocks became an official statistic. He's in good company, since the other player was Michael Jordan.
Victor Wembanyama became the second player in NBA history (since blocks became official in 1973-74) to have 5 blocks and 5 steals in back-to-back games.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) February 24, 2024
The other?
Michael Jordan in 1987. https://t.co/lHxlJlhYqo
What makes Wembanyama's season particularly incredible is that his team is consciously limiting his minutes. He's blocking half a shot per game more than his closest competitor, and he's doing it in only 28.5 minutes per game. Best of all, he's only committing 2.1 fouls per game. On the season, he has 57 more blocks than fouls, an incredible mark for a young player.
The only thing Wembanyama isn't doing is getting wins, the Spurs dropping to 11-46 with the loss. But that's part of playing on a team that starts four players 23 and younger, with point guard Tre Jones only turning 24 last month. Coach Gregg Popovich gives regular minutes to four 20-year-olds, including Wembanyama, so this year is a learning experience for everyone in San Antonio.
But Wemby's learning extremely fast. He's on track to become the first rookie to lead the NBA in blocks since Manute Bol. We'd be very surprised if this wasn't the first of many five-by-fives.
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