Victor Wembanyama can deal two brutal blows to the OKC Thunder on opening night

Opening night in the NBA will already carry huge stakes because it's Spurs vs. Thunder, a rematch of an epic Western Conference Finals and a new chapter in the best rivalry in the sport. However, there are two storylines baked into this matchup that Victor Wembanyama has an opportunity to make an immediate statement on.

The first is Chet Holmgren: after what happened in the playoffs, another dominant Wemby performance could make that matchup even more psychologically difficult for the Gonzaga product.

The second is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Wemby can quickly remind the MVP that the postseason changed the hierarchy, so there won't be a third victory for the two-time award winner.

Wemby can put Chet right back in his head

Sam Vecenie was gassing Holmgren up on a recent Game Theory podcast episode, and he was right to do so to a certain degree. Chet has generally played well for OKC, but Wembanyama clearly got into the DPOY runner-up's head during the Western Conference Finals, and Vecenie acknowledged that.

"It felt like he didn't necessarily have that same level of fight and competitive fire... it felt like Wemby got in his head a little bit, but that's one matchup, and there are 29 other teams." - Sam Vecenie

His ending point is a good one. Chet's woes seem to come mainly from one guy. Unfortunately for him, it's a guy they see three to four times a year during the regular season, a guy they could meet in the playoffs several times.

On top of the constant, highly publicized battles, Wembanyama isn't someone Holmgren can easily forget about because he's Victor Wembanyama. Everyone wants to find creative ways to ask the Thunder's rim protector about the Spurs' star. He can't get away from Vic, no matter how hard he tries.

His best bet is to finally outperform Wemby or, at the very least, have a great game against the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year. But what if Vic's opener mirrors last year's performance in Dallas? A 40-point, 15-rebound outing while styling on Chet after a summer of working out might truly break the poor fella.

Wembanyama can also make a loud MVP statement

There's no way to argue with this next statement: Wemby was a more impactful player than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the postseason matchup with Oklahoma City. Opening night gives him a national stage to remind everyone of that fact.

If it weren't for Alex Caruso turning into prime Ray Allen, OKC wouldn't have had a chance in some of those games. SGA had severe trouble navigating the Spurs' defense, and Vic's presence in the middle was a huge reason why.

Shai loves that midrange area, but Wemby is too long to allow clean looks from those spots. It seriously hampered the 2x MVP's game. A monster performance from San Antonio's Frenchman would immediately place him at the front of the MVP conversation, reminding voters of how much he's developed and how quickly he's taking control of the league.

Wemby had a great third year in the NBA, but there's still so much story to be written. OKC is a part of that tale, but they play the role of the has-been—the "here today, gone tomorrow" protagonists of yesteryear. Vic is the new hero speeding us through their chapter, and the next installment will be savage on October 20.

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