Victor Wembanyama didn’t waste time making his presence felt Friday night against the Houston Rockets.
After the San Antonio Spurs dropped their season opener to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-104, all eyes were already on what Wembanyama would do next. He answered the opening moments of this one with the first bucket of the game, finishing a putback dunk that showcased the kind of athletic pop that keeps making him look unlike anyone else on the floor.
That’s the spotlight Wembanyama lives under now. He’s the clear face of the Spurs, and the expectations only get louder from here.
Last year, he won Defensive Player of the Year as San Antonio reached the NBA Finals, though the run ended in a memorable series loss to the New York Knicks. Across the season, Wembanyama put up 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 blocks per game.
This season, the conversation has shifted even higher. The idea now is that Wembanyama can push his game into another tier, with MVP chatter already attached to his name.
He’s been bending the usual rules since he arrived in the league, an anomaly for his size and skill set and a player who has changed the way people think about the big-man position. Still, as with most all-time talents, the championship question hangs over everything.
The good news for San Antonio is that Wembanyama is only 22 and still has plenty of runway ahead of him. ESPN also has the Spurs among the favorites to win the Western Conference again, slotted behind the Thunder.
At the time this story was published, the Spurs were trailing the Rockets 47-42 at the end of the second quarter. San Antonio will be back in action Saturday on the road against the Dallas Mavericks.
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Wembanyama Just Revealed What Is Driving His Next Leap
Victor Wembanyama is entering the season with a clear target in mind, and it is bigger than individual accolades. The Spurs star said winning MVP is on his radar, but after coming up short in the NBA Finals, the disappointment of that loss has become a major force behind the way he is approaching his development.
For San Antonio, that matters because the next step for Wembanyama is not just about recognition, but about becoming more dangerous offensively and helping push the team closer to a championship. The talent is already obvious; the question now is how much further his scoring and overall attack can grow as he tries to turn a painful finish into fuel for the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Already Have A Backcourt Problem To Sort Out
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Still, the bigger issue may be how that setup limits the rest of the roster. The Spurs lost some substitution flexibility while sorting through the new alignment, and now they may have even more to juggle with DeAaron Fox and Keldon Johnson listed as questionable for the next game after injuries in the opener. [Read more 🡒]