Victor Wembanyama’s 42 points were the key to the San Antonio Spurs victory on Thursday against Atlanta.

It’s no secret that Victor Wembanyama is one of the most unique talents the NBA has ever seen. The Frenchman made waves as a rookie in 2023-24 and has surpassed all of his sophomore-year expectations thus far. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Wembanyama being this good given his elite talents on both ends of the court, but it’s uncommon to see a player being this dominant in only his second year in the league.

On Thursday, Wembanyama took things to another level with an impressive performance against the Atlanta Hawks. The star center ended with a game-high 42 points (13-24 FG, 7-15 3PT, 9-12 FT), six rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals in 37 minutes during the Spurs’ 133-126 overtime win.

This 42-point output was the most for Wembanyama since he buried the Wizards with a 50-point eruption on Nov. 13. He became the second player in NBA history to post a stat line like Thursday’s, matching Vince Carter in the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals — one of the best games of Carter’s career. It was Wembanyama’s fifth game of the season with at least 30 points. He also has nine double-doubles and one triple-double to his name.

The second-year phenom has been dealing with a sore back in December, causing him to miss two games earlier in the month, but he’s been on fire since returning to the court, averaging 28.8 points, 8.8 boards, 4.5 assists, 4.0 blocks, 3.3 threes and 0.8 steals over his last four appearances. Those elite numbers are coming from a 21-year-old with less than 100 games played in his NBA career. 

The future is clearly bright in San Antonio, and Wembanyama’s play is a big reason why.