Victor Wembanyama strolled through the hallways at Footprint Center after the best game of his short NBA career when he passed 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant, stopping for a quick handshake and quick hug.
Some say the 7ft 4in Frenchman is a taller version of Durant.
Durant\u2019s first impression is that the budding San Antonio Spurs<\/a> star might be even better.
\u201cHis enthusiasm for the game \u2013 you can tell that through the TV and playing against him,\u201d Durant said. \u201dHe\u2019s his own player, own person. He\u2019s going to create his own lane and is much different than anyone else who has played.\u201d
In just his fifth NBA game, the 19-year-old Wembanyama showed why he was one of the most-hyped prospects in years, scoring 38 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a standout performance during a 132-121 victory over Durant and the Phoenix Suns<\/a> on Thursday night.
Wembanyama produced several highlight-reel plays in the game, including a soaring dunk while running the floor during the second quarter. But it was his poise in the fourth quarter that was the real eye-opener.
The Spurs built a 27-point lead in the first half and still had a 14-point lead entering the fourth quarter before the Suns clawed back to tie it 116 with about four minutes left. That\u2019s when Wembanyama took over, with the precocious rookie making a three-pointer, three free throws, a dunk and an 18-foot jumper to push the Spurs on a 12-0 run that sealed the win.
EVERY HIGHLIGHT from Victor Wembanyama's dominant night in the Spurs' W \ud83c\udfac<\/p>\n

38 PTS (career-high)
10 REB
2 BLK pic.twitter.com\/E7FXwDlX9A<\/a>
Wembanyama shot 15 of 26 from the field and added two assists, two blocks and a steal to help the Spurs complete a two-game sweep in Phoenix. He said the game also taught him an important lesson.
\u201cI\u2019d say it\u2019s that a 20-point lead is nothing,\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cIt works both ways. It\u2019s also something we\u2019ve seen in Fiba when we play team US or scout US. You could be up 15 and in a blink you\u2019ll be down one and you don\u2019t know what happened because they ran the fastbreak like crazy and got some defensive stops.
\u201cSo yeah, in the NBA<\/a> it\u2019s the same.\u201d
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Wembanyama\u2019s strength is that he\u2019s unselfish but can also take over a game when needed.
\u201cHe\u2019s a multi-faceted player \u2013 he\u2019ll pass to the open guy,\u201d Popovich said. \u201cHe\u2019s got confidence in himself. He made some plays that were unbelievable. That combination is pretty good.\u201d
He certainly has a few fans on the Suns. Both three-time All-Star Devin Booker and Durant praised the rookie.
\u201cHe\u2019s an unbelivable talent,\u201d Booker said. \u201cEveryone knows that. We\u2019re just trying to figure what he is because we\u2019ve never seem him before. We got him early in the season. Hopefully, next time we play him we can make some adjustments to make it tougher. But he has an advantage being 7-4 and being able to shoot over everybody.\u201d
That advantage isn\u2019t going away anytime soon.
And if Thursday night was any indication, Wembanyama is every bit the rising NBA star that many expected.
\u201cI don\u2019t see anyone else like him in this game,\u201d Durant said. \u201cWe\u2019re both skinny and I know he watched me growing up, but he\u2019s his own player.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Victor Wembanyama strolled through the hallways at Footprint Center after the best game of his short NBA career when he passed 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant, stopping for a quick handshake and quick hug.Some say the 7ft 4in Frenchman is a taller version of Durant.Durant\u2019s first impression is that the budding San Antonio Spurs star might […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n