Victor Wembanyama Dominates the NBA   

The San Antonio Spurs’ rookie prodigy, number one overall pick, and power forward Victor Wembanyama is taking the National Basketball Association (NBA) by storm. The seven-foot-three star has shown his ability to check off all the boxes by shooting three-pointers, playing great defense, running down the court for dunks, and making successful passes. A performance like this is very uncommon; the taller an NBA player, the less they can maneuver on the court, aside from a few exceptions such as Los Angeles Lakers’ Lebron James.  

Throughout the first five games of this season, Wembanyama has averaged 20.6 points per game, 8.6 rebounds, two blocks, a steal, and two assists each night. The Spurs, which had 22 wins last season, already has three wins in their first five games, and it looks like Wembanyama is a huge contributing factor to their success. Other team players have also picked up a lot of the slack.  

Notably, point guard Keldon Johnson has averaged 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists a night. By far, however, their second-best player has been shooting guard Devin Vassell, who has averaged 19.4 points per game. Center Zach Collins has also taken a huge step up, having averaged 13 points and six rebounds every game. 

Collins has also become a significant enough threat to the opposition to save Wembanyama more than a few trips down the floor. As this team continues to develop, it will be interesting to see how they grow and whether head coach Gregg Popovich can bring the Spurs back to the playoffs. 

NFL Leaders During Week 8   

Here were the leaders at each specific category during their games in the eighth week: 

Best Quarterback: Washington Commanders’ Sam Howell  

Stats: 397 passing yards, four touchdowns, one interception 

Result: 38-31 loss to Philadelphia Eagles 

 

Best Running Back: Detroit Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs  

Stats: 26 carries, 152 rushing yards, one touchdown, five receptions for 37 receiving yards  

Result: 26-14 win over Las Vegas Raiders 

Best Wide Receiver: Dallas Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb 

Stats: 12 receptions, 158 receiving yards, two touchdowns  

Result: 43-20 win over Los Angeles Rams 

 

Best Tight End: San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle 

Stats: nine receptions, 149 receiving yards 

Result: 31-17 loss to Cincinnati Bengals 

 

Best Defensive Player: New York Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux 

Stats: six tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble 

Result: 13-10 Loss to New York Jets