Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
All Scores
Odds by

The bright lights of Madison Square Garden were too bright for Victor Wembanyama

What to make of the NBA's In-Season Tournament
Vincent Goodwill joins Michael Smith to discuss the pros and cons of the NBA In-Season Tournament, including the colorful courts and the attempt to create an increased significance of the regular season.

The bright lights of Madison Square Garden were perhaps a little too bright for one of the NBA’s brightest young stars.

Victor Wembanyama, the number one overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, had taken the NBA and larger pop culture world by storm in the first seven games of his career. He seems to routinely have videos go viral on social media, whether it’s his pre-game dribbling drills or dunking over other large humans with his impossibly long go-go-gadget arms.

Unfortunately, while many were expecting a historic performance at the league’s most iconic arena, the 19-year-old floundered in his Madison Square Garden debut on Wednesday, finishing with 14 points on 4-of-14 from the field with nine rebounds and two assists.

Wembanyama came into the game averaging 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. In doing so, he became the first player to average 20 points and two blocks through five career games since Shaquille O’Neal in 1992.

In O’Neal’s first game at Madison Square Garden, back in November of 1992, the Knicks won the game, but Shaq finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds, besting Patrick Ewing on the day.

Wembanyama was not able to write a similar story for himself in his Garden debut.

The talented 7’4” Frenchman was certainly the focal point early for San Antonio, taking the first three shots of the game for the Spurs. He missed all three.

To make matters worse, two of his first four shots of the game were air-balled jump shots, and he spent the majority of the second quarter on the bench. He finished the first half 0-for-5 from the floor in 16 minutes with two points, four rebounds, two assists and a block.

He also had a plus/minus rating of -16, the worst of any player on either team. He didn’t make his first shot from the field until there were three minutes left in the third quarter, and the Spurs were already down almost 30 points.

“I was trying to get used to the rhythm,” Wembanyama said after the game. “We did have a rough start collectively. But we’re young, the youngest team in the league, so we’re learning.”

There was certainly a lot of learning on the job on Wednesday night for the talented youngster. For him, the matchup was less about skill and more about grit and fight. While those attributes may not get you drafted first overall or make for engaging social media clips, they’re certainly ones Wembanyama will need to learn as he continues on his NBA journey.

The big man seemed overmatched physically in his matchup against Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks’ starting center who stands 7’0” but weighs 240 pounds compared to just 210 pounds for Wembanyama. Robinson continually stonewalled the rookie on his drives and pushed him out of the paint on rebounds. Wembanyama was 0-for-6 from the field when Robinson was his primary defender.

Only, it wasn’t just Robinson that hounded Wembanyama on Wednesday. Julius Randle didn’t miss his opportunities to throw his body around with the rookie in the post, and back-up center Isaiah Hartenstein went toe-to-toe with “Wemby” on more than a few occasions. On one such occasion in the third quarter, Hartenstein forced Wemby to pick up his dribble and then trapped the rookie with Immanuel Quickley. When Quickley swiped the ball away, Hartenstein beat the rookie down the court for a thunderous dunk.

It got to the point where the 19-year-old seemed more content to hover around the three-point line rather than attack Robinson and Randle in the paint.

When asked specifically about whether or not the Knicks did anything differently on defense to contain him, Wembanyama only offered, “It changes every night, but yes.”

Given all that was made prior to the game, it was hard not to think that the bright lights and crowd energy in the Garden were maybe too much early on for Wembanyama. It was reminiscent of when the Knicks knocked the Cavaliers out of the postseason last year and Cleveland’s starting center Jarrett Allen admitted “Even for me, the lights were brighter than expected.”

“This morning at shoot around was pretty special,” he admitted when asked about the moment it hit him that he was playing in this arena. “And also seeing all the retired jerseys. I think no matter how many times I play here, it will always be special.”

Of course, it may not have felt like that in the moment. At one point in the third quarter, the capacity crowd erupted in chants of “overrated” as Wembanyama stepped to the line to shoot two free throws. It was the first time in his short professional career that he had to stare down an arena taunting him in unison.

He drilled both free throws.

After the game, Wembanyama said he expects teams to go after him because he’s the number one overall pick and one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory.

“The challenge is always to stay lucid,” he said after the game. “You’re gonna go through losing streaks. Some day during the season [you’ll go] through tough times, and it’s gonna happen. The most important [thing] is how you bounce back.”

At the end of the day, perhaps it was better for Wembanyama that he struggled on Wednesday. Sure, everybody wanted to add his name to the list of players like Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul, who exploded in their Madison Square Garden debuts. But it may mean more for Wembanyama’s career to force him to respond to his first metaphorical punch in the mouth on the national stage.

He wouldn’t be the first person to put together a Hall of Fame career after a deflating debut at the Garden.

In Dirk Nowitzki’s rookie year, the lockout shortened the season, so he was unable to play at the Garden, but he made his debut early in his second year, and it didn’t go well for the then-21-year-old. Nowitzki shot 4-for-9 from the field (2-for-4 from beyond the arc), finishing the night with 10 points, six assists, and five rebounds in 35 minutes.

This one game will not define Wembanyama’s career just the same way it would not have defined his career if he’d posted a triple-double.

“He’s going to be great,” said Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson. “He’s going to be a very spectacular player. He already is, honestly.”

But now, instead of watching the ascension of a spectacular young talent, the NBA will watch his resiliency. The Knicks threw the first punch on Wednesday night, and now it’s the young phenom’s turn to fight back.