Tuesday night marked the first time that Kevin Durant and Victor Wembanyama shared a floor with one another. Perhaps the two most uniquely talented players of their respective eras, Durant and the Phoenix Suns looked like they were going to get the best of Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs until a Keldon Johnson bucket in the remaining seconds propelled San Antonio to a 115-114 win.
Wembanyama expressed before the game that Durant is his favorite player, and after the two went head-to-head, the French rookie laid out something that he can take away from the 13-time All-Star’s game.
“I learned that I’m far from mastering the game as much as him, because I tried to do some stuff like him but I think I’m not maybe patient enough,” Wembanyama said, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN. “I think I want to go too fast, but he goes to his own pace and goes to his spots. I think I have to, not copy that, but get inspired by that.”
Durant was likewise complimentary of the “unique player” that went No. 1 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.
"He's a unique player who is going to be a force in this league for a long time"
-KD on Wemby after their first matchup pic.twitter.com/B5cQl46ecs
— NBA (@NBA) November 1, 2023
“He’s gonna be a force in this league for a long time,” Durant said. “Once he continues to get experience under his belt, he’s just gonna get even better.”
Durant led the shorthanded Suns on Tuesday night, going for 26 points on 12-for-19 shooting with seven assists, two rebounds, and two blocks. Wembanyama, meanwhile, scored 18 points with eight rebounds and four blocks.
