Is Victor Wembanyama falling shy of 40 pts a good thing? Revisiting horror stories of 2 players who scored 40 within 1st 5 games
Not all the time, a rookie who had an early single-game explosion like what Victor Wembanyama did on Thursday night would go on to have a memorable NBA career.
There were two instances in the past of aa rookie seemingly on his way to superstardom after dropping an offensive performance better than Victor Wembanyama's 38-point blast against the Phoenix Suns in the first five games of his career but eventually became well-known for the wrong reasons.
One thing in common between the two players: they got the executioner's axe from the NBA and never got to play in the league again.
Rookies who dropped 40 just 5 games into career but banned for life
#1 Alex Groza
The first "casualty" goes by the name Alex Groza. He was the second overall pick of the regular 1949 NBA (BAA then) Draft but technically the fourth if you count the fact that two teams used their privilege of drafting a territorial pick, that is, they could directly hire one rookie from a college within 50 miles of their home arena.
The Indianapolis Olympians hit the jackpot when the Providence Steamrollers used the first overall pick of the regular draft on Howie Shannon, which in turn allowed them to draft Alex Groza.
Groza's amateur career was splendid. He won two NCAA titles for Kentucky in his last two college years and was named the Most Outstanding Player on both occasions. Groza was also a key member of the 1948 USA team that won the gold in the London Olympics, the first Summer Olympics after World War 2.
Like Victor Wembanyama, the six-foot-seven Alex Groza played the big man role, and was on his way to Hall of Fame status. Alex Groza became the first recorded player to score 40 points in the first five games of his career, dropping 41 on the New York Knicks in his fourth NBA game.
He eventually finished with averages of 23.4 points on a league-leading 47.8 percent shooting and 2.5 assists a game during the 1949-1950 season. That was impressive enough for the NBA's press corps at that time to name him the unofficial Rookie of the Year while also making it to an All-NBA Team.
Groza would become an All-Star the following season while norming averages of 21.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in the regular season.
He would then explode for an average of 32.3 points a game with 14.0 rebounds a contest during the 1951 playoffs and was really on his way to superstardom. However, Groza admitted his role in a game-fixing scandal exposed in 1951, which rocked the NCAA and even the NBA then, baring that he accepted a point-shaving bribe during his senior year in the 1948-49 season.
As a result, then NBA president Maurice Podoloff banned Alex Groza for life, and Groza also had to give up his shares in the Indianapolis Olympians. Since he could no longer play professionally again, Groza turned to coaching, eventually becoming a head coach in the ABA during the 1970s.
#2 John Drew
John Drew quickly worked his way up in the NBA despite falling to the second round of the 1974 draft.
Unlike Victor Wembanyama, John Drew quickly got a 30-point blast right on his NBA debut, finishing with 32 alongside 12 rebounds for the Atlanta Hawks against the Chicago Bulls.
By his third NBA game, he got his first career 40-point game, finishing with 41 with 18 rebounds, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a blowout win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Drew was eventually named to the All-Rookie Team at the end of the 1974-1975 season.
Like Groza, Drew would enjoy becoming an NBA All-Star -- twice at that in 1976 and 1980 -- but when he was traded to the Utah Jazz in 1982 as part of a package that would send Dominique Wilkins to the Atlanta Hawks, Drew's drug problems began to unravel.
The melting point of his NBA career happened in 1984, when it was revealed that he relapsed, that is, he returned to taking illegal drugs at frequent levels. The Jazz eventually let go of Drew that year without being able to finish the 1984-85 season.
In hopes of making an NBA comeback, John Drew signed with the Wyoming Wildcatters of the CBA, but in Jan. 1986, NBA commissioner David Stern banned him for violating the league's drug policy, infamously becoming the first player to get the sanction.
Later that year, Drew was arrested for drug violations twice, and his life continued to spiral. Drew eventually said in a 2002 interview that he was bouncing back from his drug addiction, but last year, he passed away after a battle against bone cancer.
Victor Wembanyama misses out on joining elite company
Victor Wembanyama was just one field goal away from becoming the fourth freshman to score 40 points on or before his fifth career game, the other being Wilt Chamberlain, who did it on his NBA debut.
However, based on how the careers of the two infamous members of the elite company went, you can argue that Victor Wembanyama might be "lucky" that he missed going for 40.
One thing is for sure, though: Victor Wembanyama must also learn the ropes outside the NBA like how not to deal with sports bettors and to keep himself away from vices.
Another thing is for sure: Victor Wembanyama is destined for Wilt Chamberlain-level greatness as well.