Analyzing Victor Wembanyama’s remarkable performance in Game 1
FOR A GOOD 90 minutes leading up to the San Antonio Spurs’ first playoff match in seven years, the audience at Frost Bank Arena appeared fully immersed in one of the most compelling forms of social influence imaginable. Every seat in the arena was adorned with a pink, orange, or teal T-shirt to commemorate Fiesta Week in San Antonio.
There are no exceptions. No swapping colors. If Spurs icons David Robinson and Tim Duncan can don orange shirts and longtime Spurs president RC Buford can wear hot pink, so can you.
Those who do not comply are swiftly captured by in-house cameras and displayed on the arena scoreboard, subsequently facing relentless jeers from the crowd until they relent, which they invariably do.
Before the players took to the court, nothing appeared more significant to the audience on Sunday than this game of “Put Your Shirt On.”
That is, until Victor Wembanyama stepped onto the court in matching bright orange, size-20.5 shoes to warm up for his inaugural playoff game.
At that moment, the crowd had no justification for not joining in.
As he prepared on the court, the music faded. Fans throughout the arena began recording the moment on their cell phones for future reference.
Everyone understood — or at least believed — they were on the verge of witnessing history.
There are few firsts remaining for Wembanyama, but this initial playoff game held immense significance for him, as it did for a city that has awaited seven years to return to the postseason. The fans had never endured more than one year in the 53 years since the franchise relocated to San Antonio.
“The first time I stepped on the court, even for warmups, I felt the atmosphere was different,” Wembanyama stated. “Everybody was ready. The fans were ready. It’s probably the most excitement I’ve seen this year in this arena.”
Wembanyama exceeded expectations. He navigated through the moment with a force that only his slender 7-foot-4 frame can generate once he reaches full speed. His final statistics — 35 points on 13-of-21 shooting with five 3-pointers, five rebounds, and two blocks — only partially convey the narrative of the Spurs’ Game 1 triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Indeed, he surpassed Tim Duncan’s franchise record for points in a playoff debut. Yes, the Trail Blazers were 0-for-11 on attempts where he was the primary defender.
However, it is how effortlessly he achieved those milestones that resonates and instills concern in the rest of the league regarding what he could accomplish over the coming decades — and how limited the other teams are in their ability to contain him.
DUNCAN AND ROBINSON were seated 10 rows up on Sunday night to observe Wembanyama’s playoff debut. Both have welcomed and guided him since his arrival in San Antonio three years ago.
Yet neither Hall of Famer executed a play comparable to the one Wembanyama completed 6Β½ minutes into the game.
Wembanyama secured a rebound from a Deni Avdija miss, glanced up the court, and spotted an opening. Typically, centers are expected to pass the ball to a guard in such situations. But no such conventions apply to Wembanyama. If he identifies space, the Spurs trust him, at 22 years old and 7-foot-4, to initiate the offense.
It is truly remarkable to witness a man of that height dribbling coast-to-coast with such speed and skill. It is even more surreal to see him dribble behind his back, spin away from defensive pressure into the lane, take two strides toward the basket, and execute a thunderous dunk as he did moments later.
Duncan and Robinson were as astonished as the crowd by the play. NBC’s cameras captured the Hall of Famers applauding and smiling in delight.
“It’s something you know he’s capable of,” Spurs center Luke Kornet remarked afterward. “But it’s also something we’ve never seen before.”
Wembanyama practices this type of drive during his warmups before every game. He will bounce the ball off one basket, retrieve the rebound, survey the court, and accelerate as he dribbles.
Player development coaches Jon Harris and Curtis Lewis await him as he crosses half court. Harris, a robust forward who played in the G League and professionally in Germany, Canada, and Argentina, defends him first, bumping him hard enough to disrupt his path. Lewis, a smaller guard who played collegiately at Rockhurst University and Flagler College, doubles him near the 3-point line.
Wembanyama never relinquishes his dribble. He either splits the double-team, spins around it, or Eurosteps through the key.
He reserves the thunderous dunks for the game. And it electrifies the crowd every time.
“Did I dunk it?” Wembanyama inquired after the game. He seemed to have forgotten the play that will undoubtedly be remembered as the defining moment of his first playoff game. “I’ll have to look again.”
AS THE LATEST in the lineage of Spurs big men chosen with the No. 1 pick, Wembanyama will always be associated with Robinson and Duncan, both of whom excelled in their playoff debuts as well. However, it is another generational superstar to whom Wemby was being compared on Sunday.
Twenty years ago, LeBron James participated in his first playoff game for the Cleveland Cavaliers, concluding with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a victory over the Washington Wizards. At that time, James was only the third player in NBA history to achieve a triple-double in his playoff debut.
Wembanyama could not quite replicate that achievement, but he became the 13th player to score at least 35 points in his initial playoff experience. Similar to James, the Spurs’ big man played his first playoff game in his third season. Wembanyama is the same age James was when — a year after his playoff debut — he led the Cavs to the NBA Finals, coincidentally against Duncan and the Spurs.
Following that Finals, which concluded in a four-game sweep to secure San Antonio’s fourth title, Duncan famously pulled James aside and informed him it would soon be his league.
Nearly two decades later, at age 41, James continues to rewrite history, but Wembanyama’s performance on Sunday indicates that it will not be long before it becomes his league, rather than LeBron’s.
Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday attempted to postpone that transition on Sunday night. On the first play of the game, the veteran guard sent Wembanyama tumbling to the ground as he cut through the lane. As the only Trail Blazers player with championship experience, it was Holiday’s responsibility to introduce the young Frenchman to the physicality of the playoff environment.
Wembanyama quickly recovered, caught the ball on the wing, drove to the lane, and missed a floater.
“I think he was a little more excited than usual,” Spurs teammate De’Aaron Fox commented. “Everybody has jitters, but I don’t think those jitters showed for more than like 30 seconds.”
Indeed. Following that initial possession, Wembanyama composed himself by focusing defensively.
“Our defense into our offense is our best offense,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson stated. “The more we commit to that end, then you get to see the talent and the athleticism and the waves of our offense.”
This has become Johnson’s shorthand to describe what is so difficult to articulate about Wembanyama. Johnson used “the talent” instead of “his talent” because he recognizes that Wembanyama does not wish to be distinguished in any way. Evenings such as Monday, when Wembanyama earned what will undoubtedly be the first of many Defensive Player of the Year awards, are significant but not a reason for a special individual celebration.
In typical Spurs fashion, Wembanyama opted not to hold a separate news conference Monday night, choosing instead to speak before Tuesday’s Game 2 against the Trail Blazers.
THE VAUNTED CULTURE that Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich, who retired last year, established in San Antonio was palpable on Sunday night. The collective joy and engagement in the stands. The multigenerational support from the old guard. It was unavoidable and unbreakable, as it has been for nearly 40 years.
Duncan, Robinson, Manu Ginobili, and Sean Elliott were among the Popovich-era players present for Wembanyama’s playoff debut.
Popovich observed from a suite alongside his longtime assistant coach and friend, Brett Brown. On Monday, Popovich attended Spurs practice and engaged with individual players for over an hour.
“The main thing I take from Pop is just being selfless,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle remarked. “I feel like he embodies that and the culture that he built for this organization.”
Castle played only a few weeks of his rookie season last year under Popovich, before the Hall of Fame head coach suffered a mild stroke prior to a game in November 2024. However, Castle still encounters Popovich nearly every day at the team’s facility, as well as Duncan and Ginobili.
“They move like normal people,” Castle noted. “It’s kind of weird. They’re legends, just walking around like they’re just normal, day-to-day people.”
That’s how it has always been in San Antonio. The team adopted its character from the famously unassuming Duncan.
This current group of Spurs is shaped in Wembanyama’s likeness, and like their leader, they are more festive, open, and charismatic.
“Tim, Manu, Tony [Parker], those guys were like, ‘Don’t ask about myself,'” stated Portland coach Tiago Splitter, who played alongside Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker from 2010 to 2015. “[Wembanyama] is very open about who he is.”
After games, Wembanyama gathers the team near midcourt and assists in selecting which player should receive the honor of banging the drum with the Jackals, a Spurs fan club that Wembanyama has embraced.
On Sunday night, sixth-year forward Devin Vassell, whose 15 points and two blocks contributed to the Spurs’ third-quarter surge, was chosen for the honor.
“It wasn’t my choice, but it was my suggestion,” Wembanyama stated. “We always try to put the spotlight on the person who deserves it.”
Wembanyama initiated this tradition after a victory over the Phoenix Suns before Christmas. It reminded him of something his favorite soccer club, Paris Saint-Germain, does to honor the hero of the match and celebrate with its fans.
Wembanyama would have been entirely justified in banging the drum to commemorate the win in Game 1. He was indisputably the best player on the court, as he is on most nights. However, in true Spurs fashion, akin to his superstar predecessors, he chose to defer the spotlight.
Duncan and Robinson remained until Vassell completed leading the postgame cheer, then quietly exited the arena.
Wembanyama mentioned that he noticed them when they were displayed on the big screen during the second half.
“It was the loudest the fans got all game,” he remarked with a smile. “Just seeing those two and the recognition they received from the fans was amazing.”
He understands their history and what they achieved together. The foundation they established and passed on. From the moment he arrived in San Antonio and was designated as the torchbearer of the Spurs’ dynasty, Wembanyama has embraced their support without feeling overwhelmed by it.
“I wouldn’t say weight,” Wembanyama reflected after the game. “I would say it feels safe. It feels like if you trip, there are many hands ready to catch you. From Day 1, it’s felt that way.”
