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How many records will Spurs' Victor Wembanyama break?
It's impossible to ignore 7-foot-4, 210-pound rookie Victor Wembanyama. Although he plays for the San Antonio Spurs (12-48), who are last in the Western Conference, Wemby is seemingly breaking a record or posting a never-before-seen stat line every game.
On Thursday, he became the first NBA player to record 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and five made threes in a game. He's making one of the worst teams in the league must-watch TV.
But what are his chances of breaking some "unbreakable" NBA marks?
Most blocks in a game | Elmore Smith, 17
A player recording 17 blocks in an NBA game is hard to fathom. But the more we see from Wemby, the more breakable this record feels.
He recorded a 10-block game on Feb. 12 against Toronto and is far from reaching his defensive ceiling. The only possible roadblock here is if teams stop attacking the rim once they learn how inefficient a strategy that is when Wembanyama is manning the paint. But outside of that, there's a high chance this record falls before Wemby calls it quits.
Most blocks in a career | Hakeem Olajuwon, 3,830
Wembanyama is averaging a league-leading 3.3 blocks per game through 54 games. If he keeps a similar pace until about 2042, he'll come close to Olajuwon's block record. Though Wemby will challenge per-game records during his career, the longevity required to top Olajuwon might be too tall a task.
We think The Dream's record is safe, but nothing would shock us anymore.
Wemby has three 25/10/5/5b games this month.
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 1, 2024
The most in a month since Hakeem in 1993. pic.twitter.com/9dPXwNhS8o
Most points in a game | Wilt Chamberlain, 100
We won't go there yet. Even with the NBA's scoring explosion, Chamberlain is probably safe for at least a few more decades.
Most games of 10+ blocks | Manute Bol, 18
If Wembanyama plays a full, healthy career (fingers crossed that he does), he will breeze past this record. Another game of 10-plus blocks by the end of this season feels inevitable, and the pace will pick up the deeper he gets into his career. The NBA might soon tinker with some rules, tailoring them more toward the defense. If that happens... phew.
Most Defensive Player of Year awards | Dikembe Mutombo, Ben Wallace, four
As we've seen with other NBA awards, voter fatigue is real. LeBron James has been the most valuable player in the NBA about a dozen times but has won the MVP award just four times. So even if Wemby becomes one of the greatest defenders ever (and his trajectory is headed that way), he might become too consistently good to win DPOY five times.
Tying Mutombo and Wallace? That's not out of the question. But breaking the record? Don't lose sleep over it.
Most 5x5's | Hakeem Olajuwon, six
If you're unaware, a "5x5" is a game in which a player records five points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. This feat has been accomplished just 22 times, six by Olajuwon, the former Rockets star and an NBA Hall of Famer.
In a 113-108 loss on Feb. 23 to the Los Angeles Lakers, Wembanyama joined Jamaal Tinsley (2001) as the only other rookie to record a 5x5 game. It's not an outlier, either. Wemby was flirting with a 5x5 for about a week before he got it done.
There's a zero percent chance this record stands for much longer. Wemby might break it before he turns 25.
"He doesn't have a ceiling," James said after the win over the Spurs, per ESPN.com.
More must-reads:
- 1 Stat Shows How Good Spurs’ Victor Wembenyama Shoots
- 76ers to build statue of iconic Hall of Famer
- The 'Most points in a playoff game by team' quiz
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