Shaquille O’Neal has invoked Kobe Bryant while discussing Victor Wembanyama’s remarkable performance against the Dallas Mavericks, praising the Spurs star’s response after a difficult previous outing.
Wembanyama recorded 52 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks as San Antonio edged Dallas 112-111. It was a career-high scoring night for the 22-year-old, who also added two steals and two assists.
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The performance came after Wembanyama struggled against the Utah Jazz, scoring just 12 points on 5-for-15 shooting. O’Neal saw something familiar in the way the Frenchman bounced back.
Shaquille O’Neal compares Victor Wembanyama’s mentality to Kobe Bryant
Speaking during ESPN’s postgame coverage, O’Neal drew on his experience playing alongside Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers, where the pair won three consecutive NBA championships.
The Hall of Famer suggested Wembanyama had approached the Mavericks game with the determination to make a statement after his previous performance.
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O’Neal said: “I wonder if he said coming into the game, ‘I need to score 50 tonight.’ I played with a guy who was like that in Kobe Bryant, rest in peace. But that’s how you respond when you have a bad game.”
Shaq also praised Wembanyama’s ability to impact the game even when his outside shooting was not working.
“He came the first half. He was focused. He played to his size,” O’Neal said. “Scored a lot of points from two early. Wasn’t really making it from three, but it didn’t matter. He was doing everything else.”
Wembanyama finished 16-for-28 from the field, but made just one of his eight attempts from three-point range. He also scored 19 points from 23 free-throw attempts, showing how effectively he attacked the basket.
His first-half display was particularly historic, as he became the first player in the NBA’s play-by-play era, which began in 1996-97, to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a half.
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O’Neal knows exactly what that level of production looks like. He once recorded 61 points and 23 rebounds against the Clippers, but his biggest takeaway from Wembanyama’s night was the response to adversity.
“When you’re a great player, you never want to have two bad games in a row,” he added.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
