Wembanyama posts 2nd career 5x5 game
Victor Wembanyama was all over the stat sheet during Thursday's win over the Utah Jazz.
The San Antonio Spurs phenom registered his second career 5x5, finishing with 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals, and five blocks in 34 minutes. He's just the third player in NBA history with multiple 5x5 games, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, who had six in 1,238 career appearances, and Andrei Kirilenko, who recorded two in 797 games.
Prior to Wembanyama's latest all-around display, there were only 22 recorded instances of a player tallying at least five of each of the NBA's major stats in a single contest - including his first on Feb. 23 as a rookie against the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, Thursday's addition to the history books marks the first time a player has pulled it off while hitting four or more threes; Wembanyama shot 4-of-13 from beyond the arc against Utah, though Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich envisions the 7-foot-3 star continuing to evolve as a shooter.
"He is more of a perimeter player than he is a post player," Popovich told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News postgame. "We want him to be able to do everything: isolate, shoot, do the whole deal. We just can't do it all at once. It depends on the situation and what is going on."
The 20-year-old is now averaging 18.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.2 blocks, and one steal five games into his sophomore campaign.