"It's Not in His DNA": Nick Young Unimpressed by Victor Wembanyama's Career-High 52 Points Against Mavericks
If you think Victor Wembanyama’s career-high performance was beyond criticism, then you’re wrong. Hours after legendary big men hailed the masterclass, the Spurs star has still found himself facing questions about whether he truly wants to dominate opponents. The debate is not about his ability. It is about his approach to the game.
Former NBA champion Nick Young believes the French center still has a lot to prove.
“I’m not impressed. Too much ‘wee-wee’ in him. He got too much French in him,” Young said, speaking on Gil’s Arena.The former Lakers guard questioned the center’s appetite for physical basketball, using his French background to take a few pointed shots at him.
“It’s like when your momma force you to go out and fight after you got hit. It’s like they’re forcing him to do that. He don’t want to do it. It’s like, ‘You let that boy, you better go out there and hit his a*s.’ That’s what we doing to Wemby. Like he just said, ‘It’s exhausting to do this all the time’. I want to play outside and shoot threes. You know? So, 52. If he could play like that, I would enjoy it, but he don’t want to play like that. It’s not in his DNA. He got too much, you know, crumpets and tea… He don’t want to be tough out there; he don’t want to take over.”
Young’s criticism went beyond the cultural jabs.
He also questioned whether Victor Wembanyama would continue attacking the basket once his perimeter shooting returned, arguing that a player with his physical advantages should make opponents deal with him inside.
The comments followed Victor Wembanyama’s admission that his performance demanded a taxing adjustment:
“I can still do more; I mean, my shots weren’t falling tonight, and that forces me into a style of play that is exhausting; I can do it; I mean the proof is here,” Wemby said after the game.
Mind you, he played through sickness.
Young’s criticism stands in contrast to the reaction from another former NBA big man. Shaquille O’Neal, who had previously challenged Wembanyama’s physical approach and compared aspects of his game to Bol Bol, was left impressed by the response against Dallas.
Shaq went on to say that he had never seen a player like this. Moreover, this time he saw a player respond to a difficult game with the kind of determination he associated with Kobe Bryant.
Victor Wembanyama finished with 52 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks, becoming the first player in NBA history to record that combination. He also became only the second player to post at least 50 points, 20 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a game since Bob McAdoo.
The performance was especially striking because Wembanyama had managed just 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting against Utah two days earlier. He later explained that he had been dealing with illness and felt his legs return against Dallas.
The result was a night that forced even previous skeptics to reconsider what he could produce.
But the box score did not tell the entire story.
The Spurs nearly let the game slip away after building a dominant lead. Dallas fought back, and Wembanyama missed free throws during the closing stretch. Kyrie Irving had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but his contested attempt missed, allowing the Spurs to escape with a 112-111 win.
That finish adds another dimension to Young’s argument, even if it does not prove his claim about Victor Wembanyama’s mindset. A performance of this scale still required San Antonio to survive a one-point finish, rather than cruise to victory.
For now, his 52-point outing has strengthened his early MVP case while exposing a disagreement over what his best version should look like.
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The post “It’s Not in His DNA”: Nick Young Unimpressed by Victor Wembanyama’s Career-High 52 Points Against Mavericks appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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