Victor Wembanyama Just Broke This 28-Year-Old Playoff Record
The NBA playoffs began this weekend with eight games, none of which were all that exciting. The closest margin of victory was a 107-98 win by the Lakers on Saturday night. Thankfully, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama still added entertainment value to the debut games of the postseason.
Wembanyama scored 35 points in his playoff debut for the Spurs, leading his team to a 111-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Wembanyama broke Tim Duncan's playoff debut scoring record of 32 points in 1998 for the Spurs, and he was in attendance watching the game with other Spurs legends like David Robinson.
Wembayana is the present and the future of the Spurs and the NBA. Watching him take hold of his first playoff game like a chiseled veteran is a great sign for San Antonio should they progress into the second round and beyond in the Western Conference.
He showed his unique skill set as a center, making five three-pointers from six attempts. To be able to shoot from the outside and dominate the inside is something a lot of big men have become adept at, but Wemby's height gives him an entirely different level of offensive firepower.
Wembanyama was named a finalist for NBA MVP and NBA Defensive Player of the Year earlier in the day. The only players to win both of those awards in the same year are Michael Jordan in 1988, Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994, and Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2020. While odds favor Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to take home MVP, Wemby is a massive favorite in the DPOY odds.
He takes hold of the game on both sides of the floor like hardly anyone else in the league. If the Spurs get a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, fans will be treated to possibly the top two MVP candidates battling for a trip to the NBA Finals.
For now, the Spurs have to focus on their series with the Blazers, though. The next game in the series will be on Tuesday at 8:00 PM ET on NBC and Peacock. The series will then shift to Portland, Oregon for the next two games after that.