A hulking yet quiet figure, it was about time Victor Wembanyama roared.
Though he is the biggest player in the NBA — one of the tallest the league has ever seen — he is usually all bite and no bark. He is as inconspicuous as he can be as he casts an inescapable shadow across the court.
“I was just proud of being a Spur in that moment,” he said.
For the first time in the franchise’s storied history, the San Antonio Spurs are 5-0. Led by Wembanyama’s season-high 18 rebounds along with 27 points, six assists and five blocks, the Spurs beat the red-hot Miami Heat 107-101.
The Spurs were the only team that did not have a five-game winning streak since the start of the ’20-21 season. But things are different in San Antonio now.
Despite the absence of former All-Star De’Aaron Fox — who is expected to make his season debut soon after recovering from a hamstring strain — the Spurs have been off to their strongest start ever because of their aggressive guard play and Wembanyama’s inevitable dominance.
The Spurs’ perfect start owes some gratitude to what was an easy schedule heading into Thursday night. But when prognosticating their trajectory for this season, keep in mind the sobering reality: Wemby is not playing that well.
GO SPURS GOOOO 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/sQW1iIuD1X
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 31, 2025
After a declarative opening night performance in Dallas, where he scored 40 points against one of the NBA’s best front courts, Wembanyama has not played with quite the level of consistent ferocity and control. But his massive size advantage and improved feel on the ball have allowed him to chip away at the defense over the course of a night, routinely finishing with some of the best statistical performances in the league.
His numbers indicate he is playing at an MVP level. But watching the games, he and his teammates have a lot of room for improvement. This 5-0 team is not close to the best the Spurs can be, even this season.
Fox’s absence is becoming more apparent as time goes on. The half-court offense is missing a connective dynamism, something Steph Castle and Dylan Harper can’t do quite yet, despite their impressive drives to the rim. The spacing around Wembanyama’s post-ups has been sluggish at times, so they don’t zip swing passes around the back of the defense like a real contender.
Wembanyama is having more trouble taking care of the ball in transition as teams get more tape to scout him and figure out his vulnerabilities. His shot selection still needs work and he has to start taking 3s with confidence. At times, he looks like he’s almost testing out his powers to focus on his development rather than making the play that makes sense today.
That they are winning anyway is the crux of this promising paradox brewing in San Antonio. What is Wembanyama right now? What are the Spurs? They have found an identity, but they are still uncovering its depth.
This 5-0 start should be looked at more as a goalpost than a declaration. The takeaway from this moment should not be how their system is running or how ready Wemby is for the big show. The glue holding this together is the fun they are having and how it’s pushing them to chase more.
There are 17 players on the roster trying to understand how they revolve around Wembanyama. Copernicus wouldn’t have had so much trouble convincing people 500 years ago that the Earth orbits around the sun if they watched a Wemby post up. He is not the first player with transcendent gravity, but he uses it in a distinct way. He’s only starting to get in touch with his gravitational pull.
He often speaks of a puzzle in which he is the biggest piece, but he understands he’s still just a piece. You don’t get the image on the box without placing every little thing in its place.
That’s why you get moments like these, where he invites the whole puzzle on stage.
“It feels incredible. This is years of work for all of us,” Wembanyama said after the win. “Now, (that we’re) finally trying to get the maturity to get actual wins with our fans, it feels great.”Wembanyama doesn’t post to his Instagram very often. The last post he made was in the world’s longest Louis Vuitton fit, a hospital robe down to his ankles emblazoned with the LV logo, taken from his preseason physical.
That was nearly two months ago. So much has happened in the meantime. He’s made it back to the floor, gotten his wind, racked up some blocks and notched some wins.Now that he can say he was the leader of — no, a big part of — the best start in franchise history, he posted on Instagram again after returning home. It was a photo of the puzzle standing together, but this shot was different.
Just about all the other posts on his page put him front and center. This time, he chose a shot of Keldon Johnson on the mic, looking right into camera despite it being so far away.
Johnson always knows how to put on a show, whether he’s with a few reporters in the locker room or in front of an arena of nearly 20,000 people. He’s the jovial character who makes it fun to come to work. Wembanyama knows he’s the presence that makes it important to come to work.
So Wembanyama posted this photo not just with Johnson at the center, but with Wembanyama not even the tallest player in frame. The perspective makes Jeremy Sochan look a bit taller than him. Kelly Olynyk is just at the edge of the frame, towering over them. But their superstar has demonstrated that he doesn’t have to be the biggest person in frame at all times.
Wembanyama shows he understands how to share the spotlight so well while still filling his space. He’s been playing for the pass as well as any non-point guard to come into the league with this fanfare in years. He’s doing it off the floor as well.
Great players often face moments when they feel let down by their team. Front offices work hard to prevent those moments from ever happening. The Spurs right now are in the perfect alignment where Wembanyama still has a ways to go in his growth and the team is at a similar stage growing into itself both around him and through him.
The key for the Spurs is that they are all pointing in the right direction. Wins have brought them joy. Losses will take that away. Can they commit to their process? Can Wembanyama’s growth outpace defenses catching up to him? How transformative will Fox’s and Sochan’s returns be?
It’s rare a team fighting for the league’s best record is such a question mark. But questions are good. They make you think. They make you better. The Spurs have a lot to learn this year. The basketball world is tuned in, fascinated by the answer.
“We have a goal in mind and we plan on doing it all together,” Johnson said. “It’s a long season. 82 games have ups and downs. But as long as we stay together, have each other’s back, I think we’ll be fine.”
This team has been learning, studying, preparing for this opportunity. This is their moment, even if it’s not the decisive one. There will be many more moments ahead over the next decade. This winning streak was the most successful moment of Wembanyama’s career so far. It was for Johnson, Castle, Harper and anyone else whose NBA journey was born in San Antonio.
Remember, they hadn’t seen a five-game winning streak since the pandemic. This moment was years in the making, which is what makes it so sweet.
“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” Johnson said. “It feels good to be winning. Best feeling in the world.”