Victor Wembanyama seemingly hints Nikola Jokic is more unguardable than Kevin Durant
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama just completed an unreal rookie season. He lived up to the hype in his first year. He showed off his jumper from deep as well as his handles and all-around scoring. Wembanyama was even more impressive on the defensive end.
He is in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. He led the league in blocks with 3.6 blocks per game. Wembanyama was a defensive force going up against the best basketball players in the league.
In a recent interview with The Ringer, Wembanyama talked about his first season including the defensive challenges of guarding NBA players.
Although many struggle to defend Wembanyama, he also has hard times with some of the NBA’s best. Wembanyama discussed which players are the most difficult to guard in the league.
"Kevin Durant is up there but Jokic as well because yeah, Jokic as well, even though after each game I played him I think I defended him better and better and read his game better and better but I mean I just know he's gonna come next year with new weapons you know new tricks,” Wembanyama said.
The two giants are sure to do battle as their careers continue. Wembanyama should not feel bad, as no one in the league has cracked Jokic.
Kevin Durant also had solid showings against Wembanyama and the Spurs this season. He scored 25, 26 and 28 points in the three games against the Spurs, where Wembanyama played this season.
Victor Wembanyama vs Nikola Jokic
Victor Wembanyama went head-to-head with Nikola Jokic four times this season. Wembanyama performed well against the MVP.
In their fourth and last game, Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs to a shocking 121-120 victory. The Frenchman finished with 34 points on 12-for-27 shooting. He contributed 12 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Wembanyama outscored Jokic, who had 22 points in the loss.
It was a significant improvement after the first game, where Jokic annihilated Wembanyama and the Spurs. He finished with 39 points (17-for-29 shooting), 11 rebounds and nine assists. Wembanyama struggled in the loss, scoring 22 points on 7-of-17 shots. He did have four blocks.
The other two games also went the Nuggets' way. Jokic dominated Wemby again in the second meeting, outscoring the rookie 31-17. The Spurs center outrebounded Jokic and had one more block than the Serbian in the loss.
In the third meeting, Jokic and the Nuggets won once more, with Jokic finishing with 42 points on 18-of-32 shooting. He also had 16 boards and six assists. Wembanyma had 23 points on a highly inefficient 9-of-29 shooting.
Victor Wembanyama should have some better showings in their battles to come as he continues to learn with each game.