French phenom Victor Wembanyama followed up his historic 12-block performance in Game 1 with another two blocks in the San Antonio Spurs‘ Game 2 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
As a result, Wemby now has 30 blocked shots from six games in the ongoing NBA playoffs, including his 16 blocks in four games against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. Per OPTAStats, Wemby is the second-fastest player to record 30 or more blocks in his NBA postseason career, trailing only Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo.
“Victor Wembanyama has 30 blocks in 6 career playoff games.
“The only NBA player to reach 30 blocked shots in fewer postseason games since blocks were officially tracked in 1973-74 is Dikembe Mutombo (5 games).”
Wemby Makes Spurs History
With a stat line of 19 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks, the 22-year-old Wembanyama made more history, per StatuMuse, as he became the youngest player in Spurs franchise history to record those numbers. Amazingly, even Tim Duncan, who had his first playoff run at the age of 21, did not achieve that stat line.
The most encouraging aspect of Wemby’s performance on Wednesday was his ability to bounce back from a mediocre offensive showing in Game 1, when he shot 29% and needed 17 shots to post just 11 points. The 7-footer flipped the script in Game 2 as he shot 47% from the field and cut down on his three-point attempts.
Wemby Drops Iconic Popovich Quote
After leveling up the series, Wemby dropped a legendary quote from Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich.
“When you win, you’re never as good as you think you are, and when you lose, you’re never as bad,” said Wemby, drawing a lot of praise for his resolve.
Another key reason for the Spurs’ Game 2 win was the performance of All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, who had just 10 points in the Game 1 loss. According to Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson, the focus was to get Fox more involved in Game 2.
“The message was simple,” Johnson said of a meeting he and Fox had after the Game 1 loss, via ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “We’re at our best when he’s [Fox] in attack mode. He has probably the strongest ripple effect on our team when he’s pushing the pace because you have [Stephon Castle] and Dylan [Harper] that follow suit with that. Then our shooters get shots in transition, Victor plays in space and so on.
“I didn’t need to challenge him. I just wanted him to know that I may not always tell him that, but it’s true. He has not overdribbled or overshot one time for our team. So when it’s time for him to impose his will, it doesn’t always have to be the last four minutes of the game.”
Spurs vs. Timberwolves Game 3 tips off at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday. The series shifts to Minnesota after Anthony Edwards and Co. stole homecourt advantage in the first two games.
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