Tag: 100th

This is a big milestone weekend for Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs star and future of the NBA. Let’s remember he was so hyped as a can’t-miss prospect that the NBA was streaming his French League games on its app the year before he was eligible for the draft. The league gambled a bit on whether he’d be a hit in the NBA, but he’s proven to be that and then some. He was listed at 7-foot-4 a year ago but is listed at 7-foot-3 this season. You cannot convince me he’s not 7-foot-5 and in a long line of players not wanting their accurate height conveyed. Regardless, Wembanyama has completely changed the way we view basketball and what’s possible on the court in a very short amount of time.

How short? Let’s get back to that milestone weekend for Wemby. On Friday night against the Denver Nuggets, Wembanyama will play in his 100th career game. On Saturday, he will turn 21 years old. What he’s accomplished on an individual level as he helps restore an on-court gold standard to the Spurs organization is nothing short of historic. How historic, you ask? Great question! Let’s dive into what Wemby has already done as he enters his 100th career game:

What does his sophomore season look like?

So far, it’s impressive! With the veteran additions of Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, the Spurs have gone from a bad team led by a young star getting beaten most nights last season to an improved squad very much in the postseason hunt this season. San Antonio is 17-16 and sits ninth in the Western Conference. On an individual level, Wemby’s numbers continue to impress as the 2024-25 season continues:

• 25.6 points
• 10.0 rebounds
• 3.9 assists
• 3.9 blocks
• 1.0 steals
• 3.4 turnovers
• 48.0 FG percentage
• 35.5 3-point FG percentage on 9.4 attempts per game
• 87.9 free-throw percentage

Those are pretty absurd numbers for any player, let alone a 20-year-old. The Spurs are plus-5.2 points per 100 possessions in 920 minutes with Wembanyama on the floor. They drop to minus-7.0 in 669 minutes with him off the floor.

GO DEEPER

Wemby takes on patrons in chess at Washington Square Park in NYC

What has he done lately? Is this corner turn sustainable?

We just looked at his sophomore numbers, which are impressive. But much like last season, when Wemby progressively turned the corner to elevate his game to another level, he’s done the same this season. Check out his numbers from the first nine games this season:

• 17.7 points
• 9.6 rebounds
• 2.7 assists
• 3.7 blocks
• 1.6 steals
• 3.4 turnovers
• 41.3 FG percentage
• 22.6 3-point FG percentage on 6.9 attempts per game
• 91.2 free-throw percentage

These are still not bad numbers, outside of his overall shooting percentage and inefficiency from 3. Any second-year player averaging these numbers for an entire sophomore season would’ve still been creating incredible expectations. If Wemby kept those averages, he would’ve joined David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Bob McAdoo as the only sophomores in NBA history to average 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists and three blocks. But during the 10th game of the season, the bunsen burner for Wembanyama started scorching in a historic way. These are his numbers since Nov. 9:

• 29.3 points
• 10.2 rebounds
• 4.4 assists
• 0.8 steals
• 4.1 blocks
• 3.4 turnovers
• 50.4 FG percentage
• 39.5 3FG percentage on 10.5 attempts per game
• 86.7 free-throw percentage

What the f—? He’s 20 (as of this being published)! Here’s the list of players in NBA history who have averaged 29 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in a season:

It’s never happened! It’s probably because the NBA didn’t track blocks when Wilt Chamberlain played, but still! I know what you’re thinking, though. You can’t extrapolate averages over a 19-game stretch and use that as a measurement for an entire season. Sure! Let’s not skew those averages and pretend they’re outright sustainable. Here’s the list of players who have averaged at least 29-10-4-4 over any 19-game stretch:

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it during the 1975-76 season. He was 28 and in his seventh year in the NBA.
• David Robinson did it during the 1993-94 season. He was also 28 and in his fifth season.
• Wemby this season. Again, he’s turning 21 on Saturday and isn’t even halfway through his second season.

I can’t even outright say whether this production is sustainable for two reasons. On one hand, we’ve never seen this happen before. On the other hand, Wembanyama is going to get a lot better than what he is right now. Let’s get into all of the areas where Wembanyama has been different than his peers and the greats who came before him during their first 100 games. These are numbers from Basketball-Reference’s search engine Stathead from the 1984-85 season through present day.

Let’s talk about his scoring prowess

Obviously we’re going off 99 games because Wembanyama’s 100th is on Friday night. He has scored a total of 2,238 points in his career. Since Olajuwon and Michael Jordan debuted in the 1984-85 season, only seven players have scored more points in their first 100 games than Wemby: Jordan (2,721), Zion Williamson (2,524), Robinson (2,476), Shaquille O’Neal (2,427), Luka Dončić (2,332), Allen Iverson (2,258) and Joel Embiid (2,247).

If Wemby scores 21 points or more in Game No. 100 against Denver, only five players will be ahead of him.

How about his rebounding?

Wemby has grabbed 1,035 rebounds in the NBA. Since the start of the 1984-85 season, only 10 players have grabbed more rebounds through 100 NBA games: O’Neal (1,350), Dikembe Mutombo (1,211), Tim Duncan (1,198), Robinson (1,197), Olajuwon (1,190), Blake Griffin (1,188), Larry Johnson (1,089), Deandre Ayton (1,075), Emeka Okafor (1,069) and Karl-Anthony Towns (1,035).

In his 100th game, Wemby needs only four rebounds to shorten that list to nine players and make the top 10. Also, just to nerd out a bit more, how wild is it that Duncan and Robinson were so close in rebounds through their first 100 games? Especially with the passing the torch aspect of it all? Pretty cool!

What about his shot-blocking?

Wemby has 364 career blocks. Since the start of the 1984-85 season, only two players have blocked more shots in their first 100 games. Robinson blocked 383 shots by then. The late, great Manute Bol rejected a ridiculous 425 attempts. If we look back a bit more, Wembanyama has more blocks through 100 games than Mark Eaton (342). This is not bad rim-protecting company to be in. Since O’Neal is ahead of Wemby in scoring and rebounding above, it’s worth noting Diesel blocked 349 shots in his first 100 games.

We can’t forget about his passing

For this one, we can go all-time just to provide more context. Wemby has dished out 382 assists. For anybody else listed as a center on Basketball-Reference, only Brad Daugherty had more assists in his first 100 games, racking up 398. It’s worth noting Abdul-Jabbar had 375 in his first 100 games, falling just short of what Wembanyama has already done.

GO DEEPER

Amick: Victor Wembanyama’s ‘problems’ are tiny compared to huge things he’s already doing

After that, we’re looking at Clifford Ray (323), Oliver Miller (303) and Embiid (288) as the next closest. They’re not close at all, though. And just for good measure, when removing the big-man qualifier, Wembanyama is 62nd amongst all players in assists through their first 100 games dating back to the 1984-85 season. Wembanyama has more dimes through his first 100 games than Griffin (366), Donovan Mitchell (366), Vince Carter (337), Anthony Edwards (311), Duncan (266), Devin Booker (266), Charles Barkley (214), Robinson (210), O’Neal (192) and Steve Nash (271). Obviously, Nash took a little while to get some playing time before his career exploded into a Hall of Fame campaign, but you get the point by now.

And the jump-shooting?

In the NBA, Wemby has knocked down 221 3-pointers. Since the start of the 1984-85 season, only nine players have made more 3s through 100 appearances: Brandon Miller (273), Anthony Edwards (258), Keegan Murray (256), Dončić (250), Damian Lillard (235), Saddiq Bey (234), Jalen Green (232), Donovan Mitchell (229) and Lauri Markkanen (228).

Obviously, the game has changed so much during these roughly four decades of 3-point shooting, but Wembanyama has even more 3-pointers made through the first 100 games than Steph Curry (200) and Klay Thompson (204). Not to mention, Ray Allen made 145 in his first 100 NBA games, Reggie Miller had 81 and James Harden hit 121. That’s not to say Wembanyama will end up challenging any of their career shooting exploits, although these last 19 games do raise an eyebrow or two. It’s just a reminder of how much 3-point volume has mutated in recent years.

GO DEEPER

Victor Wembanyama becomes fourth-youngest player with 50-point game

Trae Young is currently tied with Wemby, but as long as the Spurs big man makes one 3-pointer against Denver on Friday, he’ll have sole possession of 10th place on this list. If he hits eight, he’ll pass Markkanen and tie Mitchell. By nailing nine, he’ll pass Mitchell and put himself eighth on that list.

One last bit of context

Let’s say Wemby’s averages of 25.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.9 blocks hold for the season. At that point, we’re not talking about sophomores in the NBA or just comparing 100-game starts. In the history of the league, he’d be only the third player to average at least 25-10-3-3 for an entire season at any age. Abdul-Jabbar did it twice at 26 and 28. Olajuwon also achieved the feat twice, doing so at 30 and 31.

What’s he going to look like in five years? Ten years? There is no limit to what he can do. There is no precedent to what he’ll become. There are no superlatives that go too far.

(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)