3 Things that show the Spurs are back after Wembanyama's debut

Power Position Playmaking

The NBA goes through cycles with elite player types that come into the league and dominate. There has been an era of highly skilled shooting guards, dominant post big men, elite ball-handling point guards who can shoot the lights out and now uniquely skilled bigs. Players like Finals MVP Nikola Jokic come to mind, as well as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. What all three of those players have in common is being the leaders of championship-contending teams.

Victor Wembanyama fits into the same mold as those aforementioned players. It's no secret that the most versatile teams are the best ones in that they can threaten the opposition in multiple ways from multiple positions, making it nearly impossible to stop them. The Spurs have always been about making the extra pass and elevating each other. Wemby understands the responsibility of those expectations and the elite play-making he put on display last night at his size will raise the Spurs' ceiling tremendously.

Defense is, also, a part of that power position playmaking. Good defense often turns into good offense and a prime example of that was Wemby's block on Brandon Miller's three-point attempt. The play quickly turned into a Spurs fast break that did not result in points but those opportunities will often lead to conversions with full-time NBA players beside him. San Antonio's bread and butter has always been defense and the cupboard has been bare lately, but Wemby has arrived with a smorgasbord of blocks and the Spurs are about to eat.