here<\/a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n***<\/p>\n
AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 The Victor Wembanyama wave, much like the inception of a typhoon in the Southern Hemisphere, arrived with ferocity and velocity and in a matter of mere seconds. And in each instance, the Frenchman\u2019s gravitational pull was its epicenter.<\/p>\n
Two minutes into the second half Thursday night, Wembanyama found himself stationed on the left wing with two Suns defenders attempting to crowd his vision. Noticing an open Stephon Castle camped a few feet behind the arc, Wembanyama backed his defender down just enough to leave Castle with enough time and space to launch, before flinging a one-armed pass right in Castle\u2019s pocket.<\/p>\n
On the very next possession, Wembanyama yelled at the top of his lungs, calling out defensive coverages while Phoenix attempted to generate a good look in his orbit \u2014 to no avail. Seconds later, Wembanyama sprinted up the floor, walked into a trailing triple and knocked it down with confidence and aplomb.<\/p>\n
Suns head coach Jordan Ott immediately motioned for a timeout, but the irreversible damage had already been done. Wembanyama turned toward a raucous crowd, threw up the \u201cHook \u2018em Horns\u201d as an ode to the University of Texas\u2019 Moody Center, the Spurs\u2019 home for the next few days, and celebrated with his teammates.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he\u2019s sharp, whether he\u2019s directly or indirectly affecting the game with his gravity, it sets the table for everybody else,\u201d Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said following\u00a0San Antonio\u2019s 121-94 win. \u201cIt can be hard at times \u2014 I\u2019m sure I can\u2019t imagine, but if I tried to I still can\u2019t \u2014 a 22-year-old with so many gifts, talents and weapons. To just trust that being sharp fundamentally still leads to greatness.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Victor Wembanyama rises up for the dunk<\/p>\n
The significance of Wembanyama\u2019s performance \u2014 he finished with a modest 17 points but added 11 rebounds, five blocks and four assists \u2014 is tied to the Spurs\u2019 goals both near and further down the line. Thursday night\u2019s blowout was San Antonio\u2019s first game coming out of the All-Star break, the first official opportunity for the Frenchman to put action to the weekend words he uttered about the competitive faucet he can never seem to turn off. Thursday also signified the start of the Spurs\u2019 second half push that serves a myriad of purposes; for De\u2019Aaron Fox to legitimize his All-Star nod; for Johnson to demonstrate why he remains one of the league\u2019s brightest tacticians; and for Wemby to illustrate why the juxtaposition of his fighting spirit and unique talent make him a natural for the next face of the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt comes from honesty towards myself and the game,\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cIt\u2019s the game I love. I try not to take it for granted and when I\u2019m on that court, I\u2019m trying to win. My younger self, when I was a kid, if he saw myself playing soft he wouldn\u2019t be proud. I\u2019m striving for the younger Vic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suns star Devin Booker played just nine minutes due to a hip issue, and Dillon Brooks missed the game because of suspension, necessary context for what should have been a hotly contested matchup between Western Conference opponents. But around this time last year, Wembanyama\u2019s season was cut short due to deep vein thrombosis. The growth, not only from Wemby but from his teammates as well, is tangible and puts the Spurs in a different headspace as they gear up for a playoff push.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s been obvious changes in one year,\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cBoth from an individual and team standpoint. As a team, we have more expectations and are more ready. We\u2019re fighting for something, every game will be meaningful from now on. And personally, there\u2019s no better experience to grow than when your back is against the wall. I did everything I could to get better \u2014 no regrets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not that Wembanyama\u2019s five blocks should come as a surprise \u2014 he currently leads the NBA in total blocks (106) and blocks per game (2.7). It\u2019s the shots that teams\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0take, the rim attacks and decisions that are altered when he\u2019s merely on the floor, that is the largest indicator of a feared team. When Wembanyama is on the floor, opponents are taking 6% less shots at the rim and 3% less shots from 4 to 14 feet \u2014 impacts registering in the 98th and 95th percentile, according to Cleaning the Glass. The shots that\u00a0do\u00a0make it through the cracks aren\u2019t that successful, either. Opponents shoot 11% worse on long 2s, 6% worse on short twos and nearly 4% worse as a collective effective field-goal percentage. Wembanyama is either in the 99th or 100th percentile in\u00a0virtually every defensive advanced metric\u00a0\u2014 and yet he still feels there\u2019s another level to reach. Johnson not so subtly admitted he\u2019s obsessed with the idea of pairing Wembanyama more with reserve center Luke Kornet, which would give the Spurs more cover than a solar eclipse. Best of luck, NBA.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can for sure get better,\u201d Wembanyama said of his shot blocking. \u201cI think I\u2019ve been getting better even though the numbers don\u2019t show it, because players avoid [shooting] clearly. It\u2019s getting harder to block shots. But my athleticism, I\u2019m nowhere near my peak. Just consistency, staying focused through every quarter and every game. Having that drive to block shots.\u201d<\/p>\n
San Antonio (39-16) now sits just 2.5 games behind Oklahoma City and should feel confident about its chances of closing the gap even further. This team possesses the depth, floor spacing, guard proficiency, rim protection, coaching prowess and star quality that marks a true contender. Internally, the Spurs aren\u2019t fazed by the reigning champs, having emphatically beaten them multiple times already this season. But for Wembanyama \u2014 and the Spurs, for that matter \u2014 the best is yet to come, which is the worst possible news for 29 other teams.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Kelly Iko, <\/a>NBA reporter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s Note: Read more NBA coverage from Yahoo Sports here. The views on this page do not necessarily…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":493064,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85,248828],"class_list":["post-493063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports","tag-yahoo-sports-victor-wembanyama-remains-locked-in-after-all-star-game-performance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/493064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2262037613-1-784x441.jpg\")
<\/p>\n