"It's impossible to be surprised": Victor Wembanyama gives sage like response to his incredible season
French star Victor Wembanyama recently capped off an incredible rookie year with the San Antonio Spurs. While expectations were high as the young star made his NBA debut, "The Alien" still left fans speechless with a number of record-breaking performances throughout the year. The way many see things, Wembanyama had one of the best rookie seasons of all time.
Nevertheless, he doesn't find himself surprised by his play. Although he became the first player since Shaquille O'Neal in '92 to record 100 points and 10 blocks in his first five games and became the only other Spurs rookie besides David Robinson to score 100 or more points in his first five games, he wasn't surprised.
In an interview with The Ringer, Victor Wembanyama issued a sage-like response when discussing his incredible season. The way he sees things, as a young player who works hard and always strives for more, incredible performances aren't surprising.
"I wouldn't say surprised because to me it's impossible to be surprised by you know, your own performance, good or bad 'cause it's you know, ultimately, everything is a result of your own work and your own you know mentality so I always want more so I'm not surprised."
Looking at some of the remarkable performances set by Victor Wembanyama in his rookie season
As previously mentioned, Victor Wembanyama's rookie season was arguably one of the most impressive of all time. Much like he showed before joining the NBA, Wembanyama's size, skill and athleticism were overwhelming for even the best of players.
With highlight-reel stops on players like former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and jaw-dropping stepback threes on some of the best guards, Wembanyama showed he can do it all. Moreover, we would be remiss if we didn't mention the off the backboard alley-oops to himself in the team's showdown with the Bucks.
Along the way, Wembanyama cemented himself in NBA history in many ways. For example, at the end of the season, it was announced that he led the league in stepback three-point percentage.
Moreover, as previously mentioned, he became the first player since Shaq to record 100+ points and 10+ blocks in his first five games. Early in the season, he also notably became the first rookie since Tim Duncan to record 30 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks in a game.
Midway through the season in February, he became the first rookie since David Robinson to record a triple-double with blocks. As Victor Wembanyama showed, he was only just gaining momentum.
Late in the season, he continued to elevate his play, again joining Shaquille O'Neal as the first rookie since 1992 to record a 40-point 20-rebound game. In his case, Wembanyama scored 46 while logging 21 rebounds.
Although the San Antonio Spurs struggled to find success as a team, Wembanyama's play was nothing short of remarkable. With the offseason to evolve his game even further ahead of a big sophomore campaign, it's clear that Victor Wembanyama has yet to show his ceiling.