The Wembanyama hype express hit a pothole in Manhattan, where Mitchell Robinson and the Knicks made the “Alien” look very human.
Victor Wembanyama’s Garden debut became a lesson in physicality and Tom Thibodeau’s committed team defense. The Frenchman was flustered and appeared slow while scoring 14 points — most of it in garbage time – on 4 of 14 shooting with three turnovers in San Antonio’s 126-105 loss Wednesday to the Knicks.
The Garden crowd even turned on Wembanyama. After cheering him during introductions, they started an “overrated” chant at the end of the third quarter.
Welcome to New York, kid. Stink and you’ll hear about it.
“Of course, it’s [a growing experience],” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s a 19-year-old rookie who is just learning about the NBA. Of course, it’s a learning experience.”
Anticipation was soaring for Wembanyama’s first Garden appearance. About 30 media members showed up to San Antonio’s morning shootaround — several hours before the tipoff — just to interview Wemby for a few minutes. It was easily the most reporters at MSG for a shootaround since pre-pandemic.
Nicknamed “Alien” by LeBron James, Wembanyama’s combination of height (legitimate 7-foot-4), athleticism and skill is unrivaled in NBA history. The 2023 first-overall pick largely lived up to the hype in his opening seven games, averaging 19.4 points with 2.6 blocks heading into Wednesday.
But Wemby’s game deteriorated quickly against the Knicks. Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein, who alternated defensive shifts with plenty of team help, gave Wembanyama no space and kept him away from the rim. His first stint ended after five minutes with zero points, three misses, one airball and a 19-8 San Antonio deficit. The final play of the first quarter was Hartenstein floating in a shot over Wembanyama’s outstretched arm.
“Of course [it feels like there’s a target on my back], but it’s not something new. I’ve seen that in past years,” Wembanyama said.
From there, it only got a smidge better for Wembanyama. He didn’t hit a field goal until late in the third quarter. Twelve of his 14 points occurred in extended garbage time. The Spurs (3-5) were outscored by 25 points during Wembanyama’s 30 minutes, the worst plus-minus of the evening on either team.
The Knicks (4-4), who led by 30 in the third quarter, benefitted from a balanced attack featuring Jalen Brunson (25 points), RJ Barrett (24), Julius Randle (23) and Immanuel Quickley (19). They have three days off and a two-game winning streak before Sunday’s game against the Hornets.
“Feels good, of course. To protect home court,” Barrett said. “Definitely loved the fans. It was sold out tonight. So to get a win in front of them was great and we got to keep building on it.”
The Knicks also dished out 28 assists with just three turnovers.
“That’s the key. Ball movement,” Randle said. “Everybody gets touches. Play off each other. Everybody naturally gets in rhythm and it always finds you.”
Wembanyama was excited for his Garden game, saying he was eager to find out why so many others — including Popovich, his coach — called it the best gym in the world. An article on TMZ Sports claimed, solely based on Twitter mentions, that Knick fans were furious at Wembanyama’s line, “[MSG] is smaller than I expected.” But Wednesday’s sellout crowd seemed only offended by his performance. It cheered Wembanyama during introductions and his first field goal in the third quarter.
The rudest treatment was on the court.
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