IN MOTION Even now, coaches and rival athletes are in awe of Victor Wembanyama.

Everyone is still talking about the incredible battle between Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic, even though the Spurs have not played since Tuesday. The Rookie of the Year frontrunner flirted with a quadruple-double of 23 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists, and 9 blocks in what turned out to be a last-minute loss, 110-105 in favor of the Nuggets, despite the two-time MVP’s impressive stat line of 42 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Even though the undermanned Spurs were unable to complete the historic upset, their performance was far different from that of their matchup with the reigning champions in November, when they played from a significant deficit for the majority of the game and Wemby behaved more like a rookie. The final score of 132-120 was only somewhat respectable. Jokic and Nuggets coach Mike Malone praised him after the game, recognizing that his development and confidence level had changed significantly since then.

Malone referred to him as the league’s future.

“With his distinct stature and capacity for blocking shots, he represents the NBA’s future. We are witnessing the rise of the NBA’s next great talent. There is not much the young man can not accomplish if he goes out there and records 23 points, 15 rebounds, 9 blocks, and 8 assists. He is therefore in the proper program with the right coach to aid in his improvement and learning. He is incredibly talented.

Jokic talked about how fast Wemby is picking things up, and he saw that they respect him because of their guarded demeanor.

For him, every game is fresh. I believe he is picking up on matchups. I believe he is learning how to balance on the floor and who is watching out for him. In all honesty, I believe he will have it sorted out within two games. We had our greatest defender, Aaron Gordon, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, so I think it is a sign of respect that we have for him that our best defensive player was covering him for the entire second half. In addition to working hard and remaining hungry, he is modest. That seems like a very nice combo.

Aaron Gordon also discussed how Wemby’s defense forces you to reevaluate everything you are doing on the field. (I am sure Reggie Jackson can vouch for this.)

Jokic, the real underappreciated Joker, responded with an incredible run of plays that demonstrated how fantastic this matchup will be moving forward. Jokic immediately got retribution with a posterizing slam, and the two laughed about it when Wemby got a scoop shot up and in around him, blocked him on the other end, and then scored on a putback.

Following the match, Jokic informed the media that Wemby had been warned not to block him again, but Wemby continued to block it multiple times. It seems that he backed off from whatever Jokic was going to do to him.

Additionally, he made a parallel between the two times he faced Tim Duncan during his rookie season, pointing out that rookie Wemby outperformed rookie Jokic against the more experienced Duncan.

Even while rival teams frequently compliment Wemby on his abilities, it only means that more is expected from the two-time MVP (perhaps soon to be three), the reigning champion, and arguably the best big man of this period. We now understand the likely feelings that younger athletes had upon receiving comparable commendation from their parents in the past.

After the Denver game, Wemby shared a humorous anecdote about a teammate of his, Tre Jones, who at one point waved off a play call from the “coach” (likely Gregg Popovich) by suggesting, “We should run this play instead,” to which the coach responded, “Oh, you are right!”

Given that we have no reason to doubt this, it speaks volumes about the respect Pop and the coaching staff hold for Jones, who recorded a triple-double while playing for Denver. It may also indicate that they will not be afraid to start Jones as their starting point guard the following season, given the similar stories we have heard from Tony Parker and Avery Johnson.

Are you a Wemby vs. Jokic fan? Next Friday, the team will play a home game against Denver. In the meanwhile, you may view some in-depth analyses of their game and be ready for an exciting future for big guys in basketball.

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