The San Antonio Spurs are riding a nine-game winning streak with no signs of slowing down. They continued that surge on Monday with a convincing road win over the Detroit Pistons, and Victor Wembanyama has been the driving force behind it all.
Wembanyama’s impact is starting to become undeniable in his third season in the league. What used to be big stats on a bad team are beginning to translate into great stats on a great team. He’s averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field. Not to mention the Spurs are 5-1 against the OKC Thunder and Pistons — the top teams in each conference for now — combined, and 41-16 overall.
When former NBA championBrian Scalabrine addressed the Spurs on SiriusXM NBA Radio, he talked about how legit they looked. They are a good team led by a player that he’s never seen the likes of before.
“He’s the most impactful player I’ve ever seen in my life,” Scalabrine said of Wembanyama on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
It may sound like a hot take, but it’s really not too far-fetched. We’ve truly never seen a player with Wembanyama’s dimensions have the amount of skill that he possesses. He can pass, shoot, dribble, and finish at the rim on offense effortlessly at 7’4″. Then, on defense, he gets so many blocks and steals that teams avoid him entirely.
The defensive impact is what specifically fascinates Scalabrine. “You gotta factor in the defensive end of the floor, and like, you can’t just have a normal game plan against him. It’s just, it’s really unique.”
Wembanyamahas had to be reined in at times throughout the season to protect him from injury. Lately, however, the Spurs have played him 30-plus minutes in three of their last four games. It almost feels as though they can sense a push for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
As of now, the Spurs are just 2.5 games behind the Thunder, who have been dealing with injuries. Most notably, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has missed 10 games with an abdominal injury. San Antonio has done an excellent job of taking advantage and closing the gap in the West during that stretch.
At the end of the day, Scalabrine’s take was just an opinion. It may not be true just yet, but it could be in a few years as Wembanyama fully develops. Still, it highlights how enthralled many are when watching the French sensation. His combination of size and skill has absolutely captivated audiences.
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