Victor Wembanyama after historic 52-point, 24-rebound night: 'It should be more like this, more often'

Victor Wembanyama came into the 2026-27 season with expectations of taking over the title of Best in the World, but a dismal performance on opening night in a loss to the Thunder raised questions about whether we might see the Spurs' star plateau in his fourth year. 

Those concerns were short-lived, as the Spurs have ripped off six straight wins after their 0-2 start. Wembanyama did his part on Wednesday night when he put together a historic stat line in a win over the Mavs, scoring 52 points, pulling down 24 rebounds and blocking eight shots in a 112-111 win. 

CAREER NIGHT FOR VICTOR WEMBANYAMA 🚨

🤯 52 PTS (CAREER-HIGH)
🤯 24 REB (CAREER-HIGH)
🤯 8 BLK

FIRST PLAYER WITH 50+ PTS, 20+ REB, 5+ BLK SINCE BOB MCADOO IN 1974. pic.twitter.com/lHzUhYYSTz

— NBA (@NBA) November 5, 2026

CAREER NIGHT FOR VICTOR WEMBANYAMA 🚨

🤯 52 PTS (CAREER-HIGH)
🤯 24 REB (CAREER-HIGH)
🤯 8 BLK

FIRST PLAYER WITH 50+ PTS, 20+ REB, 5+ BLK SINCE BOB MCADOO IN 1974. pic.twitter.com/lHzUhYYSTz

It was a career-best performance for Wembanyama, who spoke after the game about finally starting to feel like he had his legs under him again after beginning the year battling an illness.

"I haven't been feeling great lately," Wembanyama said, via the Associated Press. "I've been sick for a while and today I felt like I got my legs back. So it should be more like this, more often."

While he's not going to average 52/24/8, an otherworldly stat line is what we've come to expect from the Frenchman, and he's starting to post those kinds of sensational performances more often. It's his third game in the last four with at least 36 points and his fourth game this season with five or more blocks. 

For as great as he was against Dallas, Wembanyama still sees plenty of room for improvement. He highlighted his struggles shooting the ball, noting that it forces him to play a style that's less sustainable over the long haul of the regular season. 

"I can still do more," Wembanyama said. "I mean, my shots weren't falling tonight and that forces me into a style of play that is exhausting. I can do it. I mean, the proof is here. I can do it, but I can be much better if my shots fall. I know it's just a matter of time."

Wembanyama has been pretty awful shooting the ball this season, hitting 24% of his threes and is just 11 of 36 from the mid-range this year. Perhaps getting his legs under him better and feeling more like himself can unlock his perimeter game, which would make him all the more terrifying. 

That said, there's something encouraging for the Spurs about Wembanyama struggling to shoot and just finding a way to dominate anyway. One of the frustrations of watching the gigantic Frenchman is how he sometimes seems to forget he can basically get free buckets when he gets himself near the rim. While it's understandable that he'd want to conserve some energy in the regular season, noting it's "exhausting" to fight through defenders to get to the rim, it's what makes the Spurs the best version of themselves and that's going to be the mindset he needs in the postseason. 

If he does get the jumper working, it'll lighten that load some and make the Spurs even more dynamic, but Wembanyama can't forget that his most dominant performances come when he's relentless in attacking the basket. If he can find the right balance, perhaps his proclamation that "it should be more like this, more often" can come true, and he can ascend to that Best in the World title as expected. 

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