Victor Wembanyama may be carrying the weight of that Finals loss a little differently than anyone expected.
According to Michael C. Wright on the Hoop Collective, the Spurs star does not want to revisit what happened in the series, and he may be limiting his media availability altogether.
Wright said, "I'm hearing that Victor does not want to talk about what happened in the Finals," and added, "I'm hearing that he's locked-in. He's locked-in.''
Wright also said, "As a matter of fact, he's not even talking to any American media outlets except for '60 Minutes.' It affected him in a way. He sincerely believed the Spurs would win, and he sincerely believed the Spurs were the better team.
"It didn't go the way he wanted it to, but he learned a lot from it."
That kind of stance would create more problems than it solves. The NBA has media obligations for its players, and while a player can certainly turn in a rough interview, the league does not tolerate complete shutdowns. If Wembanyama were ever to go all the way to silence, the league would almost certainly try to handle it behind the scenes before it turned into a bigger issue.
The bigger point is that this is not just any player deciding to clam up. Wembanyama averaged 23.4 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 3.1 blocks per game last season and finished third in MVP voting. He is one of the league’s most important voices, not just one of its most imposing talents.
And whatever lingered from those Finals losses, it does not change what comes next. The Spurs move on, and so does Wembanyama, whether the next stop is the Mavs, the Thunder or the Rockets.
There is also a difference between wanting to move past a painful ending and trying to make a point by going silent. If this is some kind of punishment aimed at the media, that misses the mark. The people left out in that scenario are the fans, the ones who want to hear from him.
The talk around Wembanyama has even pushed some people to label him an NBA villain or say he is becoming "no more Mr. Nice Guy.'' That does not fit either.
He is 22. He is still figuring things out.
He is angry about what happened, sure, but turning that into total silence would only trap him in the loss. For the Spurs, and for the league, the next step is leadership.
They need his voice as much as they need his game.
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