We're in our Wembanyama era

It's time to embrace our new French basketball overlord.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

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The Sun; Edvard Munch; 1910-11

Every San Antonio Spurs game has signature moments in which you see the future as the Spurs intend it: with a 7’4 Frenchman doing things that have never been done on an NBA court before. On Thursday, we had a new experience: a signature game in which it was clear to even the greatest skeptics that the NBA will be forever changed by Victor Wembanyama.

In a second straight road game against the Phoenix Suns — a legitimate and worthy title contender, the only team to peel multiple games off of the champion Denver Nuggets in last season’s playoffs — Wembanyama led the Spurs to victory. That’s a marquee achievement in its own right: the Spurs were not pegged to be good in Wembanyama’s rookie season, and certainly not in the first two weeks of their campaign and certainly not capable of winning multiple road games against top-tier opponents.

But more than that, more than the Spurs’ 3-2 record with the league’s fifth highest strength of schedule so far — this was something different. This was a statement, as if we needed one.

Wembanyama sharing the court with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker and he legitimately looked like the best player out there. He’s 19, in his fifth NBA game.

Nearly all of the highlights are of his offense. He had just two blocks. But as the Suns broadcast team noted late: Phoenix avoided Wembanyama. He’s forcing teams to change their offensive attack angles already.

Back to the offense. The game was tied at 116 with 4:21 left after a Suns rally led in part by Revenge Game Keita Bates-Diop. Here are the next six Spurs possessions:

• Wembanyama draws a shooting foul on Yuta Watanabe (1/2 from the line)

• Wembanyama draws a shooting foul on Durant (2/2 from the line)

• Wembanyama gets a baseline dunk on a feed from Zach Collins that should have been an and-1

• Collins gets a bunny in the lane

• Wembanyama shakes Drew Eubanks and hits a pull-up three at the top of the key

• Wembanyama hits a catch-and-shoot jumper from the free throw line off a Collins pindown and Jeremy Sochan feed

128-116 Spurs with 1:35 to go. San Antonio scores on six straight possessions … in crunch time … on the road … against a contender … with the 19-year-old rookie scoring 10 of the points. Game over.