The NBA is completely stunned right now. This isn’t about the arrests of Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups, because as insane as that news was, it still pales in comparison to whatever freaky stuff Victor Wembanyama pulled off in his season debut last night. Wemby feasted on the Mavericks, delivering an emphatic statement that his summer of training with Shaolin monks and traveling the globe was a very good use of his time.
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The Frenchman did whatever he wanted against the Mavs, becoming the first player in history to score 40 points on 70% shooting, grab 15 rebounds and not turn the ball over once. The fact that he did it against extremely strong defenders Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II is bad news for the rest of the league.
NBA analyst David Shepard spoke for the rest of the basketball-watching world when he rained praise on Wemby after the game.
“He’s 7’5″ and he shoots like he’s a shooting guard,” he said, still struggling to believe what had just transpired. “He dribbles like he’s a point guard. He’s got hands in the paint like he’s a wide receiver. He’s doing alley oops out there and converting, finishing at the rim like he’s playing Nerf ball in his downstairs basement,” Shepard noted.
Wemby can truly be the best player in the NBA this season. There has never been a player with THIS size & THIS skill. Spurs are blessed!
I love Cooper Flagg & he’s bound for a great NBA career, but terrible debut going an entire half with 0 points & 0 assists as the starting PG! pic.twitter.com/Gs2S8vQ8CO
— David Shepard (@SheponAir) October 23, 2025
Wemby is like what you’d make if you created a player in NBA2K, only game wouldn’t let you make someone that good. One great thing about video games, though, is you can turn injuries off. Make a 7’5″ alien, and you don’t have to worry about bringing Luke Kornet off the bench if he gets hurt.
The Spurs don’t have that kind of luxury at their disposal. So they are praying that Wemby can stay healthy, especially after he missed the end of last season with a scary deep vein thrombosis diagnosis. Shepard verbalized what everyone else was thinking after seeing his full range of talents on display.
“We all understand Victor Wembanyama, even at the age of 21, is a legitimate MVP candidate in the NBA, so long as he stays healthy,” he said.
There may be no limit to what the Spurs can achieve if Wemby stays on the court. They didn’t even have De’Aaron Fox last night, and they still won easily over their in-state rivals. Just making the playoffs may be too small a goal, because Wemby looks ready to take over right now.
