For most rookies, the first season in the NBA is a learning experience. It’s been no different for San Antonio Spurs youngster Victor Wembanyama, though he’s fared better than your normal everyday first-year player. The 20-year-old has been preparing for this his entire life, and it shows.
Obviously, the first thing you notice when it comes to Wembanyama is his freakish figure. His (at least) 7-foot-3 frame and eight-foot wingspan stand out first, and after that, you notice his elite on-court talent. But perhaps what’s most impressive about the Frenchman is the mentality he carries with him on and off the floor.
When discussing the importance of defense after a recent six-block performance against the Washington Wizards and former teammate Bilal Coulibaly, he said that he’s always played with a defense-first mindset.
“Especially as a young player, as a rookie, and with a coach like ours, it starts on defense,” Wembanyama said via David Aldridge of The Athletic. “Growing up in Europe, to gain your spot in (a) professional roster at 15 or 16, you’ve got to play your ass off on defense. So it’s going back to that role as a new guy in the league — it feels good in some way to have that tough role sometimes.”
So far this season, Wembanyama leads the league in blocks per game at 3.2 while also averaging 1.1 steals per game. Meanwhile, he’s also averaging 20.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting 46.4% from the field and 29.9% from behind the three-point line. He’s been a monster on both ends of the court.
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