Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
Wembanyama’s rapid ascent is impossible to miss.
The NBA was packed with exciting games on Thursday night that directly impacted its incredibly tight playoff picture. The Denver Nuggets knocked off the Miami Heat in an NBA Finals rematch, the surging Golden State Warriors picked up another win over the New York Knicks, Devin Booker went off to carry the Phoenix Suns over the Houston Rockets. Somehow, the rapid progression of Victor Wembanyama has a way of rendering everything else momentarily irrelevant.
The San Antonio Spurs don’t have any shot at the postseason this year as one of the worst teams in basketball. That’s not going to last for long. Victor Wembanyama is a superstar right now, barely 50 games into his career and already doing things the league has never seen. Wembanyama is finally off his minutes restriction from an injured ankle, and he’s taking his game to terrifying newfound heights on a nightly basis. The Oklahoma City Thunder had the unfortunate task of meeting Wemby at his best.
The Spurs beat the Thunder, 132-118, behind another mesmerizing performance for the breakout rookie. Wembanyama finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks, and two steals in 32 minutes, and helped the Spurs secure the win with a furious crunch-time rally. He played the entire fourth quarter, and just seemed to keep outdoing himself as the game unfolded. Watch highlights of Wembanyama and Thunder rookie big man Chet Holmgren from the game here:
Holmgren and Wembanyama have been competing against each other since the U19 FIBA World Cup; if we’re lucky, they will be going at it with NBA Finals berths on the line for the next 15 years. Holmgren is an amazing talent in own right — 7’1 with a 7’6 wingspan, nasty as a rim protector, 40 percent as a three-point shooter, creative with how he attacks the defense off the dribble — but their head-to-head matchups only serve to reinforce how special Wembanyama is.
Wembanyama is 7’5 with an 8-foot wingspan. He’s already leading the NBA in blocks as a rookie, and his per-minute production is surpassing many of today’s All-Stars. He’s just a little better than Chet at everything save for spot-up shooting right now. At moments, the physical differences between the two young giants play out for all to see.
With 3:30 left, Wemby blasted up the lead with one incredible two-way sequence. First, he blocked a drive from my MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the rim. The Spurs pushed the ball down the other end and found Wemby as a trailer from three, and he knocked down a shot from nearly the logo.
Again, this guy is 7’5.
In the final four minutes, Wembanyama had six points, three rebounds, two assists, and one block as the Spurs ripped off a 16-5 run for the win.
After the win, Wemby grabbed the mic and spoke to the fans. In addition to his alien-level talent, he also has a tremendous mentality and seemed poised to become a great leader:
It feels like Wembanyama is leveling up at an outrageous rate. Coming out of the All-Star break, he had a game where he missed a 5×5 by one assist, got the 5×5 the next night on a back-to-back, and this, maybe his best clutch performance of the season. It’s scary to think about what’s next.
One day soon, Wembanyama’s dominance will be routine that it will almost seem boring. This is as rough around the edges as he’s ever going to be, and he’s already crushing what was the No. 1 seed in the West. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before he becomes the next player in the league, whether that happens in 2027, a few years earlier, or a few years later.
For now, it’s just so much fun to watch Wembanyama start to realize his immense powers. There’s no cap on what he’s capable of doing.
