He’s like a Greek God. It shouldn’t be possible what he is capable of. The silhouette of his frame—it’s cliche to call it slender—is already known to wary rim-runners in the league.
Victor Wembanyama will be, for all intents and purposes, the next great NBA superstar. Not just a superstar, but a game-altering, era-defining player. One that etches his name in the all-time ranks next to the greatest of the game.
And maybe that “next” part before “great NBA superstar” should be tossed out. After his performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Wembanyama is marking his territory. The league may not be his just yet, but his time is coming very soon.
The San Antonio Spurs beat out the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 and needed two overtimes to do so. Wembanyama was spectacular. 41 points, 24 rebounds (nine of those being offensive), and his usual defense resulting in three blocks.
Mind you, this is his first playoffs of his young career, and he is out-dueling MVPs. The Spurs were also without De’Aaron Fox forcing San Antonio to start the uber-young backcourt of Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.
Castle was preyed upon by the Thunder’s platoon of wing enforcers, forcing 11 turnovers, but it doesn’t matter when Wembanyama is a basketball supernova on both ends of the court.
Offensively, he’s a towering player with the dexterity and agility to slither around defenders while also punishing smaller players who dare switch onto him.
Defensively, he’s a gravitational force. He’s a black hole that swallows any shot inside the lane.
One knock against Wembanyama was his tendency to move his game behind the arc. This does add a dangerous element to Wembanyama’s game, but his bread is buttered inside the arc.
In Game 1, Wembanyama took just two 3-pointers, perhaps highlighting his growing maturity. Staying away from the perimeter may be especially important in this series as the Thunder’s defensive prowess could be extra potent there.
The one he did make was the dagger to end all daggers.
Down three points, with a few ticks more than 30 seconds to play in the first overtime, Wembanyama dribbled the ball up the court following a Thunder miss.
He advanced the ball ahead to Castle, who gave it right back to a trailing Wembanyama. He got the ball, set his feet, and let the 3-pointer fly from logo land. Tie ball game.
The best part though is Reggie Miller’s reaction to the shot. All he can do is laugh in astonishment. There’s no reason for Wembanyama to shoot that—there’s still plenty of time on the shot clock to get a better look—but this is what the greats do.
Oklahoma City calls a timeout to regroup, and the camera cuts to Wembanyama’s reaction. He is largely emotionless. He is built for this. Years of preparation and training to go on the road and steal one from the best team in the league.
It’s remarkable how excellent Wembanyama has become when considering how young he is. He’s the best defender in the league and is on his way to earning MVP awards in the future.
Adam Silver should be thrilled by all of this. For one, Wembanyama is rocketing towards superstardom and has “face of the league” potential. Sure, that conversation is a can of worms that is often unproductive and silly, but Wembanyama does represent an international appeal that the NBA brass must be excited by.
His breakthrough the last two years coincides nicely with the NBA’s global push. More games are being played overseas in Europe, and the league still has NBA Europe on the horizon. Wembanyama has the ability to connect with fans both American and otherwise which could have a litany of positive effects for the NBA.
Additionally, Wembanyama’s dominance also helps the health of the league itself. Adding another superstar to the mix increases the level of talent and level of play.
Wembanyama also projects as a player who will continue to make those around him better, thereby leading a team that will constantly be in contention. This aligns him with players like LeBron James or Tim Duncan who routinely led teams to the playoffs. Similarly to them, Wembanyama is a floor-raiser—a team can only be so bad if he is on it.
But Wembanyama is also a ceiling-raising, as seen in Game 1. He can take over a game completely to the point where defenses can do very little to stop him.
He’s reached the upper echelon of the NBA in three short seasons. Wembanyama was heralded as a generational prospect and thus far he has lived up to the billing.
Now it’s his chance to test just how far he can go. The Thunder are juggernauts, but Wembanyama is an alien.
