SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama leads the league in blocks (3.2 per game) and is a menace in the paint for opposing players trying to finish at the rim.
And Dallas' Kyrie Irving knows quite well the impact Wemby has on the defensive end of the court.
“For me, personally, I remember the first game of the season, his entry to the league, he blocked my shot," he said. "He’s just a force down there. He has great timing, and you can tell he just studies the game well."
Wemby's size, wingspan and height present trouble for opposing teams.
Aside from blocks, he is 10th in defensive rebounding (7.9 per game), while averaging 2.8 deflections and 8.5 contested shots per game. He's also recorded 56 steals this season to lead all NBA rookies.
"On the defensive end, there's not much they can’t do," Irving said.
During the two teams' Wednesday game, Irving tried his hand at trying to score on Wembanyama, which resulted in a spectacular play in the third period.
Irving, who scored 34 points in the win over the Spurs, went baseline on Wembanyama and finished a layup despite having the Spurs rookie closing in on him.
"For me to get the best of him on that one possession, it felt good," he said.
But Irving knows this one play may be rare in the coming seasons as Wembanyama improves. The more the Spurs' talented rookie acclimates to the NBA, the more work it'll take getting shots at the rim he's guarding.
"In the future, I don't know how many more I’ll get on him just because of how much ground he covers," Irving said. "It was an exciting play; I'm grateful I converted it."
Of course, Wembanyama did have his say, claiming it was just a lucky shot by Irving.
"Big fella just came over and said that was a lucky shot," said Irving to Bally Sports Southwest.