It’s almost a matter of time until San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama owns the NBA.
It’s no secret that Wembanyama is one of the game’s fastest rising superstars. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft accepted his first defensive player of the year award and is nominated for the league’s MVP.
Wembanyama’s Spurs finished as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with the second-best record in the NBA, only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But Wemby’s performance in Friday night’s Game 3 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves showcased why he’s just different.
Remember, Wemby is still only 22. In Game 1 of this Western Conference Semifinals series, he had a bit of a clunker offensively. The Timberwolves secured a shocking upset over the Spurs because Wembanyama scored just 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting. He was 0-for-8 from deep. The Spurs won Game 2 in blowout fashion, but Wembanyama was only slightly better offensively, scoring 19 points.
It all came together for Wembanyama in Game 3’s takedown of the Timberwolves, where he scored 39 points and was 13-of-18 from the field. He added 15 rebounds and five blocks. The Spurs now have a 2-1 series lead over the Timberwolves and were suffocated by Wembanyama in the latest game.
Not many NBA teams have a solution for Wembanyama. At the end of the day, the world doesn’t have too many 7-foot-4 aliens who can run and jump with extreme fluidity.
It’s crazy to think that he’s already an MVP candidate while still developing. Defensively, there’s no better player in the entire NBA. Offensively, Wembanyama is still developing consistency. But Friday night offered a glimpse into what the future could look like once he puts it all together offensively – and it’s pretty damn scary.
Forget about his underrated ability to handle the basketball, drive to the basket, and take practically anything he wants around the rim. In Game 3’s victory, Wembanyama was 3-of-5 from deep. How can anybody realistically expect to guard that?
And the Spurs needed Wemby to be that dominant offensively on Friday. It was a narrow 115-108 victory. Already, Wembanyama is figuring out how to impact winning. The NBA has plenty of stars that could pour in 39 points and look somewhat efficient while doing so. But a lot of those players are “empty stats guys” like James Harden who aren’t necessarily making a winning impact, despite having the ability to pour in a lot of points.
The Spurs have a 22% chance of winning the NBA Finals on Kalshi, a popular prediction market that allows users to trade on the outcome of real-world events. That’s the second-best probability behind the Thunder. Wembanyama’s team is one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship, and he’s not even at the height of his powers yet.
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