Wembanyama records new NBA ‘first ever’ stat in disappointing loss to Philly

It’s hard to say whether the individual figures would have been even better or worse for Victor Wembanyama after first-half drama injected new life into the 76ers. He already had seven blocks when Joel Embiid was ejected, but he struggled to knock down shots. As the mayhem unfolded, he blocked fewer shots but scored more points. It was a crazy game.

Wemby scored 26 points and was obscenely efficient after the first quarter, going 1-5. The Frenchman was 8-14 the rest of the game, which includes going 6-9 from the 3-point line from quarters two through four. He rejected eight shots and made his mark on another game where an opponent tested him. The showing resulted in a record the league has never seen.

Wembanyama is all right with Spurs and bright days are ahead

The alien proves that you can’t dictate what he should do based on the past. He is unlike any other player to grace an NBA court, and his numbers on both ends of the floor show it.

There was so much absurdity in this game. The debatable foul prompts Andre Drummond for his ejection and its reversal, Embiid’s outburst resulting in his ejection, and the Philadelphia crowd taking out their frustrations on Vic with a parade of boos every time he touched the ball. It wasn’t a normal game.

San Antonio has a lot to figure out for the rest of the season. Their second best player, Devin Vassell, finished the night with 15 points on 4-11 shooting. He was a -17 in the plus/minus stat, and it’s the second game in a row that he underperformed his standard after an explosive 23 points in his return to the starting lineup.

I’ve been a strong supporter of his return to the opening unit, but if he were to start delivering consistent production sometime soon. The fifth-year guard has scored 15 points or less in four of his last six games, including two single-digit performances. That’s not going to cut it.

Vassell got to the free throw line a few times and shot 6-7 from the charity stripe, and that aggressiveness is an improvement. The shot wasn’t always going to fall and he had to find different ways to impact the game. He did that to some degree by creating shooting fouls, but that doesn’t excuse the poor offensive production in the areas he’s expected to shine.

Joel Embiid was ejected from this game and Tyrese Maxey stepped up and delivered. Vassell is supposed to be a lethal weapon on the field that can explode at any moment, but he doesn’t give the team that power right now.

Wembanyama needs a strong number two and fans are hoping the guy who has been in the league a few years longer than Alien can step up and provide some reliability. Wemby breaks records and takes the league by storm. His progress has been faster than anyone could have predicted, but the team is being held back by more experienced players who are talented enough to do more.

They’re all still young, and blah, blah, blah, but at the end of the day, age can only be used for so long when you’ve been in the league for years. Vassell was a 2020 lottery pick and he needs to start playing like one. If Wemby can repeatedly exceed his expectations, the least Dev can do is live up to his.