Victor Wembanyama is living up to his draft-day expectations with an incredible rookie season. In recent weeks Wemby hype is at an all-time high and he’s playing amazing basketball. Now feels like a perfect time to discuss Wembanyama’s insane rookie year. Let’s dive into some shocking Wembanyama stats this year.
4 Shocking Victor Wembanyama Stats
More Blocks than 11 Teams Post All-Star Break
Since the All-Star break, Wembanyama has been playing some of his best basketball. All of Wembanyama’s stats are up but his shot-blocking is reaching new levels. In five games post All-Star break Wemby is averaging 4.8 blocks per game with an absurd 24 total blocks. This average would give Wembanyama the 4th highest blocks per game of all time. However, the most shocking piece of all this is that Wembanyama has more blocks since the All-Star break than 11 entire teams. A number that was as high as 16 earlier in the week.
The teams Wemby is single-handedly blocking include the Kings, Heat, Knicks, Hawks, Wizards, Grizzlies, Trail-Blazers, Bulls, Jazz, Nets, and Clippers. Furthermore, Wemby’s 47 blocks in February outnumbered five teams. These ridiculous stats prove Wemby can be an elite defense all by himself. While he likely won’t surpass Rudy Gobert, Wemby has gotten some love in the Defensive Player of the Year race and could certainly finish second. Ultimately tracking this stat and Wemby’s DPOY candidacy will be intriguing for the remainder of this season.
40% on Pull-Up Threes
Despite shooting just 32% on three-pointers, Wembanyama is shooting an incredible 41% on pull-up threes. This ranks Wembanyama among the most efficient pull-up shooters in the league, unprecedented for someone of his size. Wemby’s fluidity and shot-creation abilities are truly special. Furthermore, since the start of 2024, Wemby has been shooting 45% on pull-up threes. Amazingly this puts Wembanyama 4th in pull-up three % league-wide. In February Wembanyama shot 41% on all three-pointers, a huge sign of what to expect in the future. As Wembanayama progresses his catch-and-shoot abilities will improve and he will be the complete package as a shooter.
MINIMUM 50 PULL-UP 3PA
43 qualifying players
Data via https://t.co/QOecfqJpm2
— NBA University (@NBA_University) February 29, 2024
Stocks Leader
Wembanyama’s ability to rack up both steals and blocks (stocks) has been well-discussed this year. He ranks first in blocks per game and 12th in steals per game. However, total stocks are where Wemby stands out, leading the league with 251. This gives Wembanyama a sizable 43 more stocks than second-place leader Anthony Davis. Wemby and Davis are notably the only players with 200 or more stocks on the year. Rookie rival Chet Holmgren ranks 3rd with 195 stocks. At this pace, nobody will catch Wembanyama’s incredible number of stocks and he will likely create more distance. This dominance becomes more impressive when you account for Wemby averaging under 30 minutes per game.
Wembanyama Makes History
This technically isn’t one stat but Wemby has made history several times this year. Let’s take a moment to go over and appreciate some of Wembanyama’s historic accomplishments so far.
Youngest Player to Get a 5×5
Last week in a game against the Lakers Wembanyama became the youngest player ever to record a 5×5. Wemby dropped an absurd 27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, five steals, and five blocks to join an exclusive club of just 15 players all-time. This was notably the first 5×5 game since Jusuf Nurkic in 2019.
Wemby and MJ 5
After the 5×5 game, Wembanyama also joined an exclusive club with Michael Jordan. When you join Michael Jordan as the only other player to accomplish something it has to be special. Wemby became the second player ever to get five-plus steals and five-plus blocks in back-to-back games. This impressive accomplishment highlights Wembanyama’s all-around defensive impact.
Wemby’s Most Recent Big Game
In a recent upset win against the Thunder Wembanyama had an impressive stat line of 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks, and five three-pointers made. Wemby became the first player ever to score 25-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, five or more assists, five or more blocks, and five or more three-pointers. While this may seem arbitrary these stats are still extremely impressive and show Wembanyama’s well-rounded impact.
Youngest 20×20
Earlier in the season Wembanyama notched 21 points and 20 rebounds to become the youngest player ever to record a 20-20 game. Wembanyama broke Dwight Howard’s record with this performance. He also became the first rookie since Shaquille O’Neal to have a 20-20 game.
The Last Word
Ultimately Wembanyama is a special talent that the league has never seen before. Wemby’s ability to impact the game in multiple ways on both ends of the floor is truly incredible. As the years go on Wembanyama will only continue to break records and stand out as an anomaly in every way. Wembanyama’s rookie stats already highlight his insane dominance and he will continue to separate himself in the future. For now, watching how Wembanyama finishes the season and what amazing feats he accomplishes along the way will be very intriguing.
