Spurs star Victor Wembanyama made a statement to the NBA with a dominant performance on Wednesday night, as he poured in 40 points, 15 rebounds, three blocked shots, an assist and a steal in San Antonio's 125-92 victory over the Mavericks. And in the process, Wembanyama also had a world-class defender at a loss for how to defend him.
Mavericks star big man Anthony Davis, after questioning the whistle Wembanyama received from officials, explained to reporters how helpless one feels when attempting to defend the Spurs star.
"Man, the guy's 7-3," Davis said. "I think some of the foul calls were a little bit questionable. But when he's 7-3 and stands in front of you, nobody's going to block a shot. He's shooting over the top. At that point, you just pray he misses."
Just wait until Davis finds out that Wembanyama is actually 7'4"! In all seriousness, Davis and the Mavericks tried just about everything against Wembanyama on Wednesday. Wembanyama scored his points on as many as six different Mavericks players as his primary defender on the given possession. And each Mavericks player was rendered helpless at the flurry of dunks, fadeaway jumpers, pivots and post moves that the Spurs star has added to his arsenal.
One of the most impressive parts about Wembanyama's opening-game showcase? Wednesday night's game was his first in eight months after missing the second half of the 2024-25 season following his diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
"[I was] much more in control of myself," Wembanyama said after the game. "The mind, I'm not worried about [that] because I saw what it's like to be confronted with potentially losing a lot, whether it's your career or your health. So I'm not taking this for granted anymore.
"The body? I'm having more fun now that I'm not struggling to move as much. I know I still need to get better, and I'm still going to get better."
If that's how he's going to play in 2025-26, one can hardly blame opposing players for referring the defensive assignment to a higher power.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Anthony Davis Suggests Enlisting Help From Higher Power to Defend Victor Wembanyama.