Victor Wembanyama had a fiery opening night on Wednesday as the San Antonio Spurs dominated the Dallas Mavericks, 125-92. Wembanyama, who is in his third season in the NBA, put up 40 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks in just 30 minutes to reintroduce himself as one of the dominant players in the league.
Wembanyama outplayed Mavericks' 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis, tearing him up on both ends of the floor en route to the lopsided win. Davis only scored 22 points and 13 rebounds on 7-of-22 shooting from the field.
With Wembanyama's performance against a bona fide star like Davis, many NBA fans expressed deep fear as they anticipate the Spurs star's continued dominance throughout the season.
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Wemby frying Anthony Davis like he’s a G-Leaguer, the league is finished.
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@big_business_ Dropping 40 like it’s nothing on the best big defender besides Wemby himself in the league 😭
@big_business_ I’m seeing a man amongst boys out there he look like a Demigod fr
Other fans have already considered Wembanyama a problem for the rest of the league in just his first game of the season.
@big_business_ Lmao Wemby is a problem 💀
@big_business_ it’s so over (i’m loving every second of this)
@big_business_ He is making AD look like Ayton
With his output, Wembanyama set a franchise record with the most points in a season opener.
The win was Wembanyama's first game back on an NBA court since being diagnosed with a blood clot on his shoulder following last season's All-Star weekend.
In 46 appearances last season, Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.8 blocks per game.
Victor Wembanyama sees the positives in his medical journey in the past year
Victor Wembanyama's blood clots gave him a new perspective in his career, reigniting his competitive fire during the offseason.
In his interview with ESPN, Wembanyama believed his "traumatic" medical journey would be beneficial for his career.
"The traumatic experience ... is very much linked to all the stuff I've done in the summer," the Spurs star said. "Spending so much time in hospitals, around doctors and hearing more bad news that I wish I hadn't heard, of course, it is traumatic. But in the long run I think it's going to be very beneficial because even though I don't wish it on [anybody], it makes you understand lessons that nothing else could have made you understand."Wembanyama had trips all around the world, including a trip with monks at a Shaolin temple in China, football games in Japan, chess tournaments in France, and even a meeting with astronauts at NASA.
He also had workouts with NBA legends Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Garnett throughout the offseason.
This year, the Spurs are expected to lean on Wembanyama as the Spurs look to return to the playoffs.
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Edited by Rob Andrew Lo