Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was already starting to pull ahead in the Rookie of the Year race entering Monday night’s game in Toronto. Now, it’s beginning to look like his award to lose.
Wembanyama did something no rookie had done in 34 years on Monday, recording a triple-double with blocks in a rare blowout victory for the Spurs. The 20-year-old phenom was a force on both ends of the floor, leading San Antonio in scoring while gobbling up rebounds and rejecting shot after shot on the defensive end.
The signs of a Wembanyama breakthrough were already apparent heading into the matchup. The rookie was averaging 22.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks over his past 20 games, shooting considerably more efficiently than he did over his first 28 games.
The confidence was reflected in Wembanyama’s fascinating pre-game outfit, which he might want to regularly wear if it’s going to result in performances like this one.
Here’s a closer look at Wembanyama’s stats from his triple-double, plus his wild outfit.
MORE: What makes Victor Wembanyama unlike anything the NBA has seen
Victor Wembanyama stats vs. Raptors
Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds, 10 blocks, five assists, and two steals in a 122-99 win over the Raptors. He did it all in just 29 minutes.
Wembanyama is the first rookie since Spurs great David Robinson to record a triple-double with blocks and the fourth since blocks became a recorded stat, joining Ralph Sampson and Mark Eaton. He’s the only rookie to do it in less than 30 minutes.
Even outside of rookies, Wembanyama’s performance was one rarely seen in NBA history. He’s the fifth player to ever post at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks, and five assists in a game, joining Robinson, Sampson, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Wembanyama is the first player to record at least 10 blocks in a game since Clint Capela in January 2021, and he’s only the fourth player in the past eight seasons with a double-digit block performance.
While Wembanyama leads the NBA in blocks per game with 3.2, he entered Monday with only four games of six or more blocks. His 10 blocks clears his previous career high by two.
MORE: What to know about Victor Wembanyama’s ridiculous measurements
Victor Wembanyama highlights vs. Raptors
It wasn’t all about blocks for Wembanyama…
WEMBY POSTER 😱 pic.twitter.com/mVn7zMeVpd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 13, 2024
Tre lobs it up….
VICTOR THROWS IT DOWN‼️ pic.twitter.com/nzmtANIve1
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 13, 2024
…but the blocks were still spectacular…
Number 🔟 https://t.co/6SQ6aWylcj pic.twitter.com/gba9T7XXQW
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 13, 2024
sheesh 🔥 pic.twitter.com/g1i4ePjU4V
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 13, 2024
…and he even had some slick assists.
Wemby’s THIRD FLASHY ASSIST OF THE NIGHT pic.twitter.com/nrd9pRVNog
— WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) February 13, 2024
Victor Wembanyama pre-game outfit vs. Raptors
Wembanyama’s pre-game outfit was interesting, to say the least, featuring plenty of goggles but not much (or any) face. In his defense, it was barely above freezing in Toronto on Monday.
Wemby’s pregame fit 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/5FGWAjHkVx
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 13, 2024
It’s unclear what inspired the all-black look, but if it works, it works. Wembanyama had something extra in the tank against the Raptors, and if it was prompted by the outfit, we may see him get even more creative as his rookie season rolls on.
