In last week’s Game 1, the French phenom Victor Wembanyama propelled his San Antonio Spurs to a 122-115 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in double overtime.
First, the details of that game from May 18: 41 points, 24 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and a steal. Especially in the first two categories, it looks like a misprint. 20+ points and 10 rebounds is a very effective game for a superstar in a playoff game. Sit with the magnitude of those numbers a moment.
Spurs legend and basketball Hall of Famer Tim Duncan had a similar game once: to win an NBA championship. He of course was named the Finals MVP.
Wembanyama’s closest counterpart on the Thunder is the two-time reigning league MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA, as we call him, was a bit off by his standards, making only 7 of 23 shots. Nevertheless, he finished with 24 points and 12 assists. As a team, they made 41 of 101 shots, and only 17 of 45 from 3 point range. Unsung hero and pest Alex Caruso paced the Thunder, making 11 of 19 shots, including 8 3-pointers.
The Spurs also made 41 shots as a team, but on only 96 shots. They made 9 more free throws. Now, free throws are usually a function of players driving to the basket for layups, and getting fouls called on the opponent. It’s a useful shorthand for aggression on offense, in the absence of unfair officiating.
You deserve to know that the three point shot has an outsized importance in today’s game. Advanced analytics has found its way to professional basketball, to wit: a midrange 2 point shot—12 to 20 feet—is as likely to miss as a three. Ergo, take the three, unless you can’t. The Thunder’s 17 made threes would have been a record in say, 2014.
Wembanyama has become even more effective as a 7’4” center by taking fewer threes, and concentrating on short range domination. But make no mistake: he’s capable of making as many threes as are necessary for victory. 30 to 35 years ago, in the Jordan era, centers and forwards who made threes sounded like fantasy. Today, every player on the floor is generally expected to make long distance shots.
Victor Wembanyama is also the reigning Defensive Player of The Year. Such two-way dominance hasn’t been seen or done by anyone since Michael Jordan.
The Thunder are fully capable of winning this series and beating an Eastern Conference foe in the next round to claim the title. But SGA needs help. They need to get defensive rebounds to successfully end defensive possessions. They need to go right at “Wemby” and wear him down. They have already lost Game 1 at home. Losing Game 2 at home would be a disaster. Still, they won a league-best 64 out of 82 games in the regular season. They have won 8 of 9 playoff games.
We do know however that San Antonio and their otherworldly leader are unafraid. 
Jason Kettinger is Associate Editor of Open for Business. He writes on politics, sports, faith and more.
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