Dwight Howard was in utter disbelief when he first saw Victor Wembanyama flashing his distinctive skillset. The former Magic Center respects the work ethic shown by the sensational rookie and wants the incredible Spurs Center to have a decorated career because of his intensity. He is mesmerized by the way the 19-year-old plays and considers him to be a role model for his sons.
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Dwight Howard took to his Instagram and celebrated the rookie becoming the youngest player to have a 20-point, 20-rebound game. He captioned his post, “@wemby keep being great ! Keep growing the game of basketball Congrats on becoming the youngest in the 20/20 club and keep being great ! There is a bunch of more records to be broken.”
Like Howard, Wembanyama is also a strong rim-runner and lob-catcher, something which the 2020 champion also pointed out. He believes that the 2023 number-one pick has all the tools to succeed. This is why he wants his sons David Howard and Dwight Howard III to follow him.
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“And I even my tell my sons, when you turn on the TV, watch Wemby. Watch the intensity that he plays with. Because that’s going to be you. I want Wemby to win. I want him to succeed. Because he’s paving the way for little David Howard. He’s paving the way for Dwight Howard the third,” stated Howard.
He revealed that when he first saw Wemby, he reacted, “What the fu**?” Moreover, as per Howard, the 19-year-old athlete invokes that sentiment quite frequently. Despite being a 7’4” player, Wemby’s guard-like handles have evidently impressed the Centre. He lauded the Frenchman’s ability to nail jab step jumpers and fadeaways.
He mentioned that the French rookie is changing the dynamics of the league. He has opened the doors for more 7+ foot players to develop a multi-faceted game.
Victor Wembanyama is already breaking records
During the 112:121 loss against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, the Spurs rookie became the youngest player to compile 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same game. He finished the game with 21 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks. At the age of 19 years and 38 days, he broke Dwight Howard’s record who achieved the milestone when he was 19 years and 42 days old.
Despite this huge achievement, Wembanyama downplayed it because the Spurs lost. “It doesn’t really have value in a loss. But it is definitely an achievement. I hope I can look back at it as a good performance someday,” expressed Wembanyama. Even, the former Spurs DeMar DeRozan was in awe of Wemby’s defensive talents, as he stated, “He is going to be a scary defender”.
Although the Spurs have lost 16 in a row and have the second-worst record in the league, the rookie has justified the hype around him.
