Expectations are part of the gig while you’re the primary general choose. Victor Wembanyama is actually used to it. So when the brilliant lights of All-Star Weekend fell upon the San Antonio Spurs rookie on the NBA Talent Problem, you anticipated him to ship.
After getting bounced within the first sport of the Rising Stars event, Wembanyama wished to return away with some {hardware} in his first All-Star Weekend. Sadly for him, the Indiana Pacers trio of Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin and Myles Turner got here to play, taking house the primary place trophy.
The occasion began with the relay, the place gamers would toss a go, dribble via stationary defenders, hit a floater, a nook three and dash to the opposite finish for a end on the rim. Wembanyama had the most effective time for group High Picks. He missed only one nook three, and completed with a time of 23.8 seconds. Anthony Edwards did a little bit of trolling, taking pictures his nook threes left handed, and killing the groups probability of beating the most effective time.
“They wished to have enjoyable,” Wembanyama mentioned after the occasion. “Enjoyable is profitable.”
Haliburton had the quickest relay time at 21.4 seconds, and the Pacers took the primary spherical of the problem.
The second spherical was a passing sport. This was one of many extra complicated occasions added to the competitors. Gamers scrambled round throwing passes into rings, getting additional factors for bouncing the ball into the purpose. The published didn’t do an awesome job capturing the sport, making it exhausting to inform how Wembanyama did.
He was in a position to rating 18 factors within the sport, and regarded to make some good bullet passes via the purpose. Their group solely scored 58 factors, placing them in final place once more. The Pacers took house the passing crown scoring greater than group All-Stars within the tie-breaker.
The taking pictures part of the problem was brutal for group High Picks. Paolo Banchero didn’t hit a shot, Wembanyama made only one nook three, and Edwards scored 11 factors. There was a common lack of urgency for the group, as that they had already been eradicated for the ultimate.
Group All-Stars gained the taking pictures competitors and compelled a tie-breaking half-court shootout with the Pacers. Haliburton knocked down a sport profitable half-courter, and hit the Reggie Miller “choke” sign after the win. The hometown Pacers followers needed to love that.
Regardless of Wembanyama’s loss within the Talent Problem, he could find yourself the winner in the long term. He and Trae Younger regarded mighty pleasant through the occasion, including gasoline to the Younger to San Antonio rumors which have been making their manner round this weekend.
Wembanyama left a message to Spurs followers recapping his All-Star weekend.
He’ll have a couple of days to relaxation earlier than persevering with the rodeo street journey on February twenty second in opposition to the Sacramento Kings.
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