Michael Malone commended Julian Strawther for his courage in the face of potential humiliation. But the truth is, the No. 29 draft pick didn’t even consider the possibility of a slam dunk attempt until it was too late, when the No. 1 draft pick was rising about four feet above him.
Strawther avoided getting posterized into oblivion by fouling. Victor Wembanyama wasn’t able to finish the dunk through contact, leaving Strawther nervously laughing as Ball Arena applauded him.
“He was really far out, so my initial mindset was, ‘OK, I’m gonna contest the layup here,’” Strawther told The Denver Post. “But when I saw him reach his arm back … at that point it was like, ‘Whatever happens happens. I’m here. There’s no going back. There’s no teleporting out of it.’”
The building continued to buzz with amazement just from watching an “almost” sensational moment. That’s how awe-inspiring the 7-foot-4 San Antonio Spurs rookie is. Denver got its first up-close look at him Sunday night in a 132-120 Nuggets win. Wembanyama, whose pre-draft hype this summer was the loudest for any NBA prospect since LeBron James, was extraordinary in defeat: 22 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and four blocks.
“Yeah, he’s tall,” said Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets’ 6-foot-10 sharpshooter who looked like an undersized guard when matched up against Wembanyama early in the game.
“He is 19 years old. He is not getting scared of getting tired. He’s playing hard,” Nikola Jokic said. “… He doesn’t take it for granted. He’s making mistakes, which is normal. I think the media around him doesn’t help him, but he’s gonna get used to it. He’s gonna change the game, 100%. And he’s already on that path.”
The Spurs (3-14) might not be threatening when Wembanyama isn’t on the floor, but the rookie alone makes them one of the NBA’s must-watch teams at a time of exceptional league-wide parity. Post entry passes were a nightmare for the Nuggets whenever he was within reach, able to poke the ball away and create turnovers from seemingly impossible angles. Once in the first quarter, Jokic did something he rarely if ever does. He passed up a layup under the basket with nobody in his way because he could sense Wembanyama lurking somewhere behind him.
Asked if he made any adjustments to how he plays because of that length, Jokic said: “I didn’t, so that’s why my shot got blocked a couple times. … I didn’t. But I was supposed to.”
The two-time MVP also praised Wembanyama for growing accustomed to the challenge of defending through screens and being more versatile than most players his size at the defensive end of the floor.
“The guy is guarding everybody on the floor. He can literally guard one through five,” Jokic said. “And I think that’s a good thing for him, just to learn every possible spot on the floor. Just experience-wise. I’m sure for him it’s hard to chase guys around, just because he was probably playing center back in France.”
Porter empathized with Wembanyama for transitioning out of success in Europe into a situation where he has lost 12 consecutive games so early in his NBA career, noting his own experience dealing with high expectations as a former No. 1 high school recruit and projected No. 1 pick prior to injuries.
Porter was Denver’s starting four with Aaron Gordon out due to a heel injury Sunday, and his length is the most comparable frame to Wembanyama that the Nuggets have. It led to Porter trying out an unusual experience: guarding an opponent significantly taller than him.
“I think (I approach it) similar to what a guy would do to me who’s shorter than me,” Porter said. “It bothers me when defenders try to get underneath me and really just be physical. And I feel like being a 6-10 dude, you don’t usually get to do that on the defensive side. But when you’re playing someone who’s 7-4, you can use that same tactic against them.”
Wembanyama scored San Antonio’s first seven points, but the Nuggets eventually slowed down his offense a bit and kept him to 7-for-17 from the field. Denver’s own rookie Strawther was determined to make him shoot free throws to collect his points, even when Strawther’s life was flashing before his eyes in the second half.
“A lot of guys are getting out of the way,” Malone said. “People have a phobia of being on SportsCenter, getting dunked on. Victor Wembanyama, he’s gonna dunk on a lot of people. That guy is a hell of a player. He’s only going to get better. I think Julian having the balls to step in and take a foul, and not get out of the way because ‘I don’t want to get dunked on’ (is a positive).”
Strawther will happily accept the credit.
“Make him earn ’em on the line,” he said, “and everybody’s happy.”
