"Prime Hakeem numbers at TWENTY": Victor Wembanyama draws legendary comparisons on NBA Twitter for triple-double with blocks
Victor Wembanyama notched his second career triple-double in the 122-99 win against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotia Bank Arena on Monday. However, what stood out as the most impressive feat of his stat line was the 10 blocks, along with 27 points and 14 rebounds.
The rookie superstar dominated the game and controlled the defense like a seasoned vet, playing 29 minutes and boasting a +20 net rating.
Since Anthony Davis' triple-double with blocks in 2018, the NBA has not witnessed this accomplishment.
NBA fans were shocked by his performance and took to Twitter to share their reactions to the historic night. One fan notably commented:
"Rookie Victor Wembanyama posting prime Hakeem numbers at TWENTY years old"
Here are some of the other top reactions:
When the San Antonio Spurs picked first overall in the draft last summer, they probably had this kind of uncommon stat line in mind. Wembanyama has lived up to his rookie hype, being a strong Rookie of the Year contender despite the team's struggles.
Breaking down how Victor Wembanyama performed against Toronto Raptors
Wembanyama, 20, made an immediate impression on Monday night. He stopped Jakob Poeltl's layup attempt on the opening possession of the game, made a three-pointer on San Antonio's next possession, and then pulled down a rebound during the subsequent defensive play.
He led San Antonio to an early 10-0 lead, but Toronto responded with a run of their own to level the scores. The Spurs responded with eight straight points. At the end of the first quarter, their lead was 34-28.
San Antonio jumped out to a 15-point lead with an 11-2 run that featured five points and two assists from Wembanyama. The Spurs had a 19-point lead at one point in the second quarter and were up 67–50 at the half.
Wembanyama increased the point total to 30 and gave the Spurs a 100-70 lead with an alley-oop dunk with 1:17 remaining in the third quarter.
After San Antonio surged to a 27-point lead with 6:44 remaining in the fourth quarter, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic began rotating players off the bench, starting Jontay Porter and Jordan Nwora.
In the 0:40 minute of the third quarter, Wembanyama blocked a Scottie Barnes dunk attempt from behind to record his ninth block of the game.
With 6:35 left in the fourth quarter, he decisively blocked a putback attempt by Gradey Dick with his tenth block to seal the triple-double.