On Wednesday afternoon, Victor Wembanyama played the role of the Frenchman who tried to steal Christmas.
His role comes a year after a poor performance in his Madison Square Garden debut just eight games into his NBA career: 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and a block.
This Christmas, he returned to the Mecca of Basketball as a young superstar headlining a nationally-televised game with America watching.
And he didn’t disappoint.
Wembanyama first’s half numbers could’ve easily been mistaken for a full-game statline: 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
He started the game with two quick blocks, one coming after the 7-4 alien dashed across the paint to swat OG Anunoby’s attempt at the rim in the first quarter. And with Karl-Anthony Towns as the primary defender, Wembanyama totaled 10 points in the first quarter alone.
He later went on to have a historic Christmas Day debut: 42 points, 18 rebounds, fours assists and four blocks.
The boos and “overrated” chants from last season’s MSG visit turned into cheers and excitement on Wednesday.
That excitement carried fans down the stretch, when Wembanyama and the Spurs led by one with 4:10 remaining. But the Spurs, however, lost the lead as Mikal Bridges’ Knicks career-high of 41 points carried New York to a 117-114 victory.
Wembanyama’s “unique” offensive skillet, as Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau described it pregame, put the home team in nearly unguardable situations. On one possession in the first half, Wemby received the ball at the elbow with a much-too-small Josh Hart guarding him. As Deuce McBride sprinted across the court for a double-team, Wemby turned the other way to drain a turnaround jumper.
Then he partnered with Hall of Fame teammate Chris Paul on a pick-and-roll that led to an easy layup and one of four made first-half trey seconds before the halftime buzzer.
The offensive skillset looks scary for a 20-year-old just entering his second NBA season. And it leaves the NBA world wondering how an improved unicorn will torment defenses in the upcoming years.
The rebounding, though, is already otherworldly.
The task of boxing out a player with an 8-feet wingspan seemed too difficult for the Knicks, who are still without defensive anchor Mitchell Robinson.
So for now, it was Towns who had to deal with Wemby in the paint. Towns, who stands at 7-feet, looked minuscule in the third quarter after Wembanyama rose above him for a one-handed snatch on Paul’s miss at the eight-minute mark.
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA SKIES OVER KAT FOR THE OFFENSIVE REBOUND & DUNK! 🎥 pic.twitter.com/D99Tt5SK4K
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) December 25, 2024
The Parisian landed on both feet, then rose to the ceiling again for a slam that wowed a sold-out MSG crowd.
The Knicks were on high alert with the unicorn entering MSG for the second time. He entered Christmas averaging four blocks per game after recording eight swats against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. He nearly recorded a triple-double against the Portland Trail Blazers after scoring 30 points, seven rebound and 10 blocks on Dec. 21.
On Wednesday, Brunson was victim to two highlight swats: one with Wemby feet away but using his wingspan to swat the opening trey in the first half and another on a floater attempt that was initially deemed goaltending. After official review, it block was deemed legal. With Brunson quick attempt close to the rim, it was a shot maybe only the French star could reach in time before the ball reached its apex.
The full arsenal was on display and it almost ruined Christmas Day for a Knicks team looking to defend homecourt. But Thibodeau’s squad narrowly got by. And luckily for them, they’ll only have to see Wembanyana one more time this season.
