Victor Wembanyama hits NBA awards threshold in San Antonio Spurs victory
Victor Wembanyama has secured his eligibility for NBA postseason awards by playing his 65th game of the season during a 139-120 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The French centre delivered a dominant 40-point performance, adding 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocks to seal the win.
Despite returning from a bruised left rib, the 22-year-old showed no signs of slowing down during his 26 minutes on the court.
“I tried to protect the injured rib as much as possible while still being respectful of the game,”
the towering defender explained to reporters after the match.
“It didn’t bother me that much, just a few times where it was a specific moment or specific hit where it was painful.”
Matching a Spurs legend
The basketball prodigy’s latest display marks his fifth game this season with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds.
That achievement ties him with Hall of Famer David Robinson, who set the franchise record during the 1993-94 campaign.
San Antonio have been in formidable form recently, boasting an impressive 24-3 record since the mid-season All-Star break.
“I’m sure he’ll be sore tomorrow, but he made it out good,”
stated Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson, praising his star player’s resilience following the commanding victory.
Questioning the 65-game rule
Reaching the mandatory appearance threshold makes the French international the clear favourite for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
However, he expressed empathy for peers like Luka Doncic and Anthony Edwards, who currently fall short of the required game count due to injuries.
Engaging with the media, the former top draft pick questioned whether total minutes played might offer a fairer metric than total games.
“Because a guy that plays 50 games, 35 minutes a game, that’s 50 times 35. That’s 1,750 minutes, right? And if a guy plays 75 games at 20 minutes, it’s 1,500 minutes.”
He then suggested that a threshold of 75% of the season, or approximately 62 games, might be a more logical benchmark for future campaigns.
