Victor Wembanyama Ready to Make History in Madison Square Garden Debut

Anthony Gharib, ESPN8 de nov, 2023, 16:41 ETLectura: 5 min.

Victor Wembanyama says he wants to break records

The San Antonio Spurs player scored 38 points in his team’s 132-121 victory over Phoenix.

Michael Jordan and LeBron James had some of the most notable performances by a visiting rookie in their Madison Square Garden debut, and Victor Wembanyama can join that list on Wednesday.

Can Victor Wembanyama join the list of the best Garden debuts?

For two weeks, the pivot of the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyamahas lived up to expectations.

The animal he averages 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game (ranks second in the NBA behind Anthony Davis’ 3.3).

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama will make his Madison Square Garden debut on Wednesday.Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 1 draft pick led the Spurs to a victory against the Phoenix Suns last week with a career-high 38 points to go along with 10 rebounds. He became the third player in the last 40 seasons to record at least 35 points and 10 rebounds in the first five games of his career, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The animal He is also the third player to record at least 120 points and 15 blocks in the first six games of his career.

The 7-foot-4 center can add another chapter to his strong rookie season on Wednesday when he makes his debut in the Madison Square Garden (MSG) of New York against the Knicks (ESPN Deportes, 7:30 pm ET in the US.).

In preparation for the first game of “Wemby” in it MSGhere are some notable performances from a visiting rookie at the Garden, which opened in 1968.

Elvin Hayes (1968)

The second-highest scoring by a visiting rookie at MSG came in 1968 (watch out for players tied for #1).

Playing for the San Diego Rockets, Hayes scored 39 points and 17 rebounds on 48.4% shooting. Surprisingly, Hayes’ 39 points were not even close to his highest total during the 1968-69 season: he scored 54 points, 45 and 40 (five times).

Pete Maravich (1970), Jay Vincent (1982)

Maravich and Vincent are tied for the most points by a visiting rookie with 40 points.

Back then with the Atlanta Hawks, Maravich scored 40 points on 58% shooting, six rebounds and six assists in a nine-point loss. Maravich scored at least 40 points twice more as a rookie and earned 1970-71 NBA All-Rookie Team honors.

Amid a 21-point-per-game rookie season in 1981-82, Vincent scored 40 points on 77% shooting in his MSG debut, along with 10 rebounds. He was also named to the All-Rookie team.

“His Airness” He had many notable games in the Madison Square Gardenincluding a 55-point performance during the 1994-95 season. Jordan averaged 31.8 points per game in the Garden during his career, the highest of any visiting player (minimum 10 games).

The debut of Jordan It set the tone for his future performances on New York’s main stage. The Chicago Bulls’ 15-point victory included a 33-point game from Jordan in 33 minutes of play. He also added eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks while shooting 68% from the field, one of his best single-game shooting percentages that season.

David Robinson (1989) y Tim Duncan (1997)

The animal He is the first number one overall pick of the Spurs from Tim Duncan (1997). So much Duncan like David Robinson (also chosen number one of the Spurs in 1987) appeared in New York during their respective debuts.

Robinson He scored 27 points on 60% shooting, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Duncan had a double-double (25 points on 62% shooting and 10 rebounds) as well as two blocks and a steal in a 17-point win.

Robinson y Duncan were also named Rookie of the Year (Robinson in 1989-90; Duncan in 1997-98), setting a very high bar for “Wemby”.

LeBron James had a quiet game in his debut at Madison Square Garden in 2004.Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

If there is a player who understands what it is to reach the NBA with expectations similar to those of The animal es LeBron James.

Considered “The Chosen One”, James He averages 28 points, 7.5 assists and 6.9 rebounds in the MSGbut had a reasonably quiet debut. James scored 22 points on 35% shooting, adding five rebounds, three assists and a steal in a six-point victory for the Cavaliers. Like others on this list, he was named to the All-Rookie team and also won Rookie of the Year honors.

Data from ESPN Stats & Information was used in this article.

2023-11-08 21:41:00
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