Even in a loss, the skill and unique basketball abilities of Victor Wembanyama are impossible to ignore. Despite the San Antonio Spurs falling short to the Golden State Warriors, the French center and his teammate, Stephon Castle, each recorded a triple-double, the first time it has happened in the same game in franchise history.
Though losing by five, Wembanyama finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds, and ten assists, and Castle with 23 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists. Despite the record-setting night, neither performance was impactful enough to lead the Spurs past Stephen Curry‘s 46 points.
Despite falling short, in the wake of the game came a new nickname for the now-quickly evolving duo of Wembanyama and Castle, called ‘Area 51.’ Speaking recently with Michael C. Wright of ESPN, the seven and a half foot tall center gave his verdict on the new moniker.
“I love the name (Area 51),” he said, according to Wright, referring to the duo’s combined jersey numbers and Wembanyama’s already established ‘Alien’ nickname.
While it was mostly the offense shown on display through the statsheet against the Warriors, the defense of the two has also received positive praise, as the Spurs are sixth in defensive rating.
Spurs’ New Duo Is Coming Alive
While the latest performances out of the duo are an obvious signal to the rest of the league to ‘watch out’, it isn’t the first showing of their true potential as a partnership.
Yet still, Castle said he was satisfied with how they played, despite the loss.
“Obviously, we wanted to win,” Castle said, according to ESPN. “But yeah, happy to get [two triple-doubles]. It is something great to be a part of. Proud to be a part of it, but we needed to win to add onto it.”
Both won Rookie of the Year in the previous two seasons, as San Antonio became the second team since 1975 to have back-to-back winners of the award. While taking home the honor came from much of each’s success on offense, Castle also believes it is the defense that separates them above the rest.
“We both take pride in being two-way players,” Castle said. “Our identity on this team is defense, and I feel like we’re the heads of that. So, how many pick-and-rolls that we guard together, how many times we have to read off each other’s guy, how much I have to help him rebound, just all those little things on that side of the floor just makes it so much more important for us as a team.”
Head coach Mitch Johnson also had praise for the duo, but made it clear that there is still room for improvement.
“Yeah, those guys were competing,” he said postgame. “They’re doing a lot of good. We just have to try to navigate some of the peaks and valleys. We’re just having too many lows. There’s still a lot of highs, and we’re doing a lot of good things. But we just need to be more consistent.”
Wembanyama Remains An Alien
As mentioned with the new nickname and his previously given label, Wembanyama brings a unique skillset to the table that has likely never been seen in NBA history. While his first two seasons in the league were cut short due to injuries, the 21-year-old has yet to miss a game this year and is putting up career-high numbers in the process.
Averaging 26.2 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and 3.6 blocks on 50.5% shooting, he has been the main reason for the Spurs’ 8-3 record. Besides just the numbers, putting himself on an early pace to make the Hall of Fame, the center’s presence around the court is the ineffable reason for his praise.
Similar to Curry’s gravity on offense is Wembanyama’s gravity on defense. In the game against the Warriors, Brandin Podziemski had a chance at a wide-open fast-break layup, but, instead of going up, chose to freeze under the rim as the French center approached, eventually turning the ball over.
Though just one example, even if players can’t see Wembanyama, he affects their decision-making, something that can only be said for a few of the all-time greats like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Giannis Antetokounmpo on defense.
Additionally, the three-point shooting is something unique that Wembanyama brings to the table. While his 34% from deep isn’t that extraordinary, his proven ability and willingness to take and make three-pointers differ drastically from any other player in league history at his height.
In his ‘alien’ status, he has the ability to take the ball up the floor and run the offense. San Antonio does have Castle and De’Aaron Fox, who have excelled in the playmaking guard position, but Wembanyama offers just another way to ignite the offense.
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