Ever since Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA in 2023, the countdown has been on until he completely takes over. The Spurs were building around him his first two years in the league, but this season, they’ve graduated into becoming a bona fide contender.
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The Spurs are currently the No. 2 team in the West, and they’ve beaten the 1-seed and defending NBA champion Thunder three times. It’s entirely possible that they could stop OKC’s dynasty before it even gets off the ground, while at the same time establishing themselves as the team to beat for the next decade.
With Wemby roaming around and blocking or altering seemingly every shot the opposing team takes, plus the Spurs’ physical guards making life miserable for opposing ball-handlers, San Antonio are already a team to be reckoned with. As an extremely young team, though, they’re not a juggernaut yet.
On Inside the NBA last night after the Spurs came from behind to beat the Rockets in Houston, Charles Barkley responded to Ernie Johnson’s observation that other teams believe you can beat the Spurs if you get extra physical against Wemby.
“The thing is, Ernie, that’s your only chance against him,” Barkley said. “If you don’t beat him up, you’re not tall enough, you’re not athletic enough. If you don’t physically try to manhandle Victor, you got no chance.”
There are very few if any players with Wemby’s height, but more than that, we’ve never seen someone nearly that tall that’s so athletically gifted. You certainly can’t go over him, so with how thin he is, the only option is to go through him.
Some players have been able to make that work. The Pelicans’ Zion Williamson was fearless as he took it right at Wemby on Sunday, and the result was a shocking win for the last place team in the West over the 2nd seed.
It’s very rare to see anyone go directly at Victor Wembanyama and score on him with such ease like Zion Williamson did last night.
Matchups between these two are always fun. pic.twitter.com/vQhwP7sEuq
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 26, 2026
Zion has obviously had his issues, but he’s still capable of showing why he was one of the most heralded No. 1 picks in some time, long before anyone had heard Wemby’s name. Most teams don’t have a player who can attack Wemby like this, but Zion provided a blueprint to how to beat him for those that do.
The top concern with Wemby is health. At his size, it’s so easy to go down with an injury, and sure enough, he’s dealt with his share already in his young career. When teams try to manhandle him, they’re not only doing it to try to win that particular game they’re playing, they’re trying to wear him down over the long haul.
Beating Wemby up now can pay dividends in the playoffs, even if he is still able to be on the court. At full strength, we may soon realize that there’s not much teams can do to beat the Spurs, but with enough body blows, even the strongest fighters can go down.
For his part, Wemby said after last night’s physical win that, “Eventually, I’m gonna run out of places on my body for scars, but the rest of my body — my joints, my muscles — they’re fine.”
This will be Wemby’s first postseason appearance, and it should easily be the most games he’s ever played by time the season is all said and done. Whether he can continue to stand up to this kind of physical toll will go a long way towards determining who gets a ring.
