JJ Redick has long been impressed by Victor Wembanyama, and the Los Angeles Lakers' head coach has evolved his stance on Wemby as a player and as a person.
Victor Wembanyama is one of the best players on the planet. Here at SpursRoundtable, we would say he's the best player on the planet.
Maybe that's a little premature, but no one in the league is dominating on both sides of the floor like he is, and since the San Antonio Spurs' other All-Star (De'Aaron Fox) was a last-minute injury-replacement, there's a case to be made that no one is winning with as little help as he is.
On Tuesday, Wembanyama scored 40 points in three quarters against the Los Angeles Lakers, and then followed that up with a 26-point effort in a comeback win over the Golden State Warriors the following night.
As the Spurs head into the All-Star Break, the praise for Wemby keeps coming in.
Lakers' Coach Makes Wembanyama Claim
The Lakers did not play LeBron James, Austin Reaves, or Luka Doncic against the Spurs, and from start to finish were dominated by San Antonio. Wembanyama took control early, scoring 25 of his 40 points in the first quarter.
"He's one of the five best players in the world," JJ Redick said of Wemby. "He's put that stamp on himself. It's like more than the counting stats with him, because there's such an avoidance of him defensively. And there's an awareness you have to have from him defensively. And Sean [Sweeney] has done a good job this year with their defense. He's the center of that. And he impacts the game in ways that don't show up in a box score. On top of that, he's one of one as a human. You can see the collective belief and collective culture that they've established over the last few years with him."
In June 2023, before Redick got hired by the Lakers, Wembanyama appeared on his Old Man and the Three podcast. At the time, there was no rivalry whatsoever between the future coach and the future All-Star, and Wembanyama left his mark on Redick.
"I'm free in that universe," Wemby said. "I do whatever I can, and I know what I want to do, and nothing's gonna stop me from doing it, and I always have that in mind. And it doesn't just stop at basketball, it's about life."
"F***, man," Redick responded. "I wish I was free in the universe."