By: MICHAEL SALES – USA CORRESPONDENT
DENVER – The Victor Wembanyama NBA rookie tour made a pit stop at the Ball Arena in downtown Denver on Sunday.
And while the trip did not yield a victory for the visiting San Antonio Spurs, Wemby did not disappoint the 19,655 fans in attendance who went to see him measure up against Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Nuggets.
The 20-year old Wembanyama, the No.1 overall pick in last June’s NBA Draft, tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and four blocks in 24 minutes to become the first rookie to produce that kind of production in a single game.
“I like bringing something new to the game,” he said. “I’m glad I can already put my name in history a little bit. It’s a good feeling.”
Unfortunately, Wembanyama’s big effort didn’t prevent the Spurs from losing their 12th straight outing as the Nuggets took the W, 132-120.
Twelve consecutive defeats is the third-longest losing streak in franchise history. The Spurs dropped 13 in a row in the 1998-99 season and 16 in a row last season.
Obviously, Wembanyama is the silver lining.
“He’s playing aggressively. He’s affecting the game in a lot of different ways,” Gregg Popovich said. “He’s blocking shots. He’s scoring. He’s a willing assist man. He’s very unselfish. He doesn’t worry about making a mistake.”
Even Denver coach Mike Malone took notice of how Wembanyama is being defended.
“A lot of guys are getting out of the way,” Malone said. “People have a phobia of being on SportsCenter, getting dunked on. Victor Wembanyama, he’s going to dunk on a lot of people. That guy is a hell of a player, he’s only going to get better.”
