One of the most memorable moments from the NBA this past week came during the Golden State Warriors’ bout against the San Antonio Spurs. The particular instance that took the internet by storm involved Draymond Green and Victor Wembanyama. It isn’t easy guarding the 7-foot-5 superstar. Yet, Green can’t seem to stop relishing in the experience.
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Great competitors love competition, and the best form of competition is against the greatest players the league has to offer. At this point in time, there’s only a handful who are better than Victor Wembanyama. Despite being in just his third season, Wemby has become a force for opposing defenses.
Green has always accepted difficult defensive challenges throughout his career. The four-time NBA champion is giving up nearly an entire foot in height. Regardless, he didn’t back down from the competition.
No other player in the NBA has guarded Wembanyama longer than Green has. Through two matchups, Green was the primary defender against Wemby for just over 14 minutes. Wemby has scored 20 points on 38.1% shooting against Green’s defense.
Obviously, Green would’ve liked to contain Wemby more. However, he can’t stay down on himself for too long. The overall joy he got from competing against the French star was enough to remind him why he loves basketball so much.
“There’s still nothing that compares to battling with the best,” Green said on The Draymond Green Show. “That’s the thing that keeps you going.”
Playing against Wembanyama didn’t just reignite Green’s defensive love for the game. It also reminded him of what it was like guarding one of the most elusive players in NBA history, Stephen Curry.
“I felt like I was chasing around Steph Curry at times. They’re running so many different things for him and putting him in so many different spots on the floor that it was very evident to me why teams have had so much trouble guarding him,” Green said.
Typically, big men don’t have such elaborate plays for them. Of course, Wembanyama is an exception since he isn’t a typical big man. Luckily for the Warriors, they have Green, who is one of the best defenders in the NBA. Most teams don’t have that privilege.
Sooner rather than later, teams will have to begin looking for talent capable of slowing Wembanyama down if they hope to compete for a championship. Unfortunately, Wemby will miss a few weeks due to a calf strain, which is good news for the 29 other teams in the sense that they won’t have to game plan for him.
Regardless, the problem Wemby poses to defenses won’t go away. It will only grow larger as he continues to get better. While that metamorphosis takes place, Green will continue to look forward to every opportunity he will have against the 21-year-old.
