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Victor Wembanyama played decently on his NBA debut on Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks. It was relatively underwhelming, considering the hype surrounding him since last summer.
Wembanyama listened to the critics and bounced back with a huge game on Friday night that resulted in the San Antonio Spurs' first win of the season.
The 19-year-old French phenom had a star-making performance in only the second game of his career. He finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks. He still struggled with his shot in the first half but improved in the third and fourth quarters.
Wembanyama also came up clutch, tying the game at 111 with 20 seconds left. The Spurs then pulled off a 126-122 win in overtime, with Wembanyama scoring four of his 21 points in the extra period.
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3 things we learned from Victor Wembanyama's clutch performance on Friday night
Victor Wembanyama lived up to the hype in just his second game.
If Wemby's first game was comparable to Tim Duncan, his second one is almost similar to LeBron James. "The King" also had 21 points and 12 rebounds in his second career game but had eight assists.
Victor Wembanyama did have three blocks, which showed how different the two players were.
James is a willing passer, while Wemby is a defensive monster. On that note here are three takeaways from Wemby's performance on Friday night.
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#1 Wemby's defense turned the game on its head
One of the things that scouts raved about Victor Wembanyama was his defensive potential.
His length alone is something that has not been seen in the NBA. He saved a loose ball from going out of bounds even though it looked like it was a goner.
Wembanyama's double block on Jabari Smith Jr. turned the momentum of the game in the San Antonio Spurs' favor.
With the Houston Rockets up by three points, Smith had two opportunities to make it a two-possession game with two minutes left but was denied twice.
#2 Wemby already making clutch plays
As mentioned above, Victor Wembanyama's two blocks on Jabari Smith Jr. turned the game in the San Antonio Spurs' favor.
It was a clutch play on defense that has not been seen from someone who is two games into his NBA career. Smith cannot help but smile at the sheer ridiculousness of what happened.
Wemby's clutch gene showed on the other end as well when he tied the game with around 20 seconds left.
He was not afraid of the moment, getting the ball in the low post and getting physical with Smith. He hit the floater that sent the game to overtime.
#3 Alperen Sengun is the real deal
Victor Wembanyama might have been the best player in the clutch on Friday's game, but Alperen Sengun had one hell of a performance.
Sengun was the Houston Rockets' best player, putting up 25 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block.
While fans have dubbed Chet Holmgren's potential rival in the NBA, Sengun might also have a good case since he also plays in the same division.
Fans should look forward to seeing Wemby vs Sengun for years to come. They're different types of players, who could help each other get better as rivals.
