Even though Victor Wembanyama’s first season as a rookie isn’t done yet, the French phenom’s body of work has surpassed most players in the league. But for Chris’ Mad Dog’ Russo, there’s no need to hype the San Antonio Spurs star up more than he actually deserves.
Just recently, San Antonio faced the Denver Nuggets at the Ball Arena in Colorado, as the latter got the 110-105 win. In that contest, Nikola Jokic put on a show by posting 42 points on 56 percent shooting from the field, 16 rebounds, and six assists. Aaron Gordon tallied 23 points by efficiently connecting nine of his 12 field goals, while Michael Porter Jr. had a double-double of 15 points and 16 assists.
The Spurs, on the other hand, got a productive night from Wembanyama as he dropped 23 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, and nine blocks in 33 minutes on the court. Malaki Branham led the team with 24 points as San Antonio was down two key players in Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan.
Wembanyama’s performance against the Nuggets is becoming quite normal for the Spurs rookie. With his impressive showing on both ends of the court, it only makes sense for fans to gravitate towards his impressive game.
Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo Downplays San Antonio Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama Hype in the NBA
While almost everyone is in awe of Wembanya’s first year in the league, Russo has chosen to take the opposite direction. This can be seen in a clip of a recent episode of First Take with NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith posted by ML Basketball on X:
WOW: Chris "Mad Dog" Russo doesn't think Victor Wembanyama is close to a top-10 player in the NBA.
"You guys are making him out to be so much better than he is… He's fun to watch but take it easy."
👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/d0iSTcmhou
— ML Basketball (@_MLBasketball) April 4, 2024
While Russo may have a point, it’s certainly a different era Wembanyama is playing in right now. The pace is definitely faster and the way offense is played is a lot more complex than how it was done during Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s rookie season.
In any case, the Spurs rookie is just beginning his career in the NBA. Within a few years, fans and critics will see how his journey will play out as a professional basketball player.
