LeBron James comparison sends Victor Wembanyama into another stratosphere after Game 5 masterclass originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals featured a brilliant performance from Victor Wembanyama, who helped the San Antonio Spurs take a 3-2 series advantage over the Minnesota Timberwolves. His magnificent outing on Tuesday also served as a clear reminder of the impact the Spurs lacked in the previous game when he was ejected early.
Emmanuel Acho gave Wembanyama his due praise following the Spurs' game 5 victory over the Timberwolves.
“Victor Wembanyama is the most physically dominant player we've seen in the National Basketball Association since LeBron James at minimum, if not even more so,” Acho said in the “Speakeasy” podcast on Tuesday. “We've never seen a 7-5 coordinated individual such as Victor Wembanyama. He completely alters the trajectory of the game on the defensive end.”
Acho said that Wembanyama’s impact goes beyond scoring, as he praised how the Spurs star's presence opens up the floor for teammates like Castle, forces defenses to collapse in the paint, and frequently puts opponents in foul trouble.
“Victor Wembanyama is the type of player that we quite literally have never, ever, ever seen before,” Acho said. “And anybody who tries to tell you otherwise is lying.”
Wembanyama finished with a +24 rating in 33 minutes during Game 5. He exploded early with 18 points and six rebounds in the first quarter alone, becoming only the third player in the past three decades to reach those numbers in a playoff opening quarter, alongside LeBron James and Nikola Jokic.
Wembanyama continued his dominance into halftime, recording 16 of San Antonio’s first 24 points and reaching 21 points and 11 rebounds before the break. He finished as the Spurs’ leading scorer with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.
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