Raptors say Victor Wembanyama ‘changes the game.’ But so does Scottie Barnes
Barnes brings Raptors back from 22-point halftime deficit and Toronto stuns San Antonio in overtime
SAN ANTONO—It was the first look at a phenom and there were moments of brilliance.
The fluid curl around a screen for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer that became a four-point play was sublime. The blocked shots at the rim were impressive because they seemed to come out of nowhere, and watching him change the rhythm and arc of corner threes as he flew out at shooters from the paint was something to behold. And when he caught a lob pass basically off to the side of and behind the backboard and deftly tipped it back to a teammates for a dunk, jaws slackened.
But watching Victor Wembanyama split a double team at the top of the key, take one dribble and another space-gobbling step before throwing down a dunk before a single defender could move toward him was the moment it truly hit home:
This seven-foot-four Frenchman, still 19, is not like anything we’ve seen before or may see again.
And then Scottie Barnes said, “Sure, but my team’s better than yours.”
The third-year Raptors star dominated down the stretch, outplaying Wembanyama and rallying Toronto from a 22-point deficit to a 123-116 overtime victory Sunday.
Barnes had 19 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as Toronto stunned Wembanyama and the Spurs, who still led by 20 five minutes into the third quarter.
“We needed a spark,” Barnes said. “The game hadn’t been going (well). We needed something to go and I knew I needed to start doing something.”
Wembanyama had his on the way 20 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots. A three-point attempt in the final minute of overtime, with the Spurs down by four, would have been the capper but it spun about halfway down before bouncing out.
“I am not saying anything new, he’s a generational talent, but we matched O.G. (Anunoby)’s minutes with his minutes and Wembanyama ended up being minus-16 for the game,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “I thought O.G. did the best you can do against that kind of talent and size and skill.”
Anunoby finished with 24 points, a career high seven three-pointers and new admiration for Wembanyama.
“Just super unique,” Anunoby said. ”Never seen anyone that tall in life. So, yeah, he’s just really tall, covers a lot of ground. Yeah, he changes the game.”
But Gregg Popovich, one of the best basketball minds of all time, is still trying to figure how to maximize Wembanyama’s considerable talents.
“It takes some time just to see where he’s most comfortable on the court and where advantages are for him based on what is abilities are,” the Spurs coach said. “Most of us, all we saw were highlight films, I wasn’t paying attention to him … We’re taking time to just let him play, that will lead us in the direction of how we can help him grow.
“We don’t assume we know how to grow him without knowing.”
While Wembanyama’s offensive skills are fluid and quick and almost majestic, his defensive chops are built on instinct and athleticism.
“Every time you’re by the rim, you just got to really watch out for him, see where he’s out on the floor because you know he’s coming to try to block your shot,” Barnes said. “So just try to be aware of where he’s at on the floor. I think that’s why we got a lot of good kick-out threes today.
“That was mostly one of the effects of that, him just being ready to block a shot.”
Wait until he sees teams a second time.
“He is a good shot-blocker and he’s learning footwork and obviously has to understand who he is guarding, he doesn’t know any of these guys,” Popovich said. “He’s never played against any of them so each outing is an experience for him. So he’s collecting information, basically. But he’s pretty smart so he catches on quickly.”
Barnes is showing he’s a quick learner, too. He has taken to a slightly new Raptors offensive system like he has been playing it forever and Sunday’s game was his sixth in a row with 20 or more points.
