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Victor Wembanyama gets to drag the MVP talk back his way after SGA and Jokic left the door open

They sucked last night.
ByJahlil Williams
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Oct 12, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1), forward Tobias Harris (23), and center Luke Kornet (7) look on from the bench during the first half against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images
Oct 12, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1), forward Tobias Harris (23), and center Luke Kornet (7) look on from the bench during the first half against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Victor Wembanyama went 1-for-13 in his first game of the season, and he was criticized heavily for his offensive performance against a rival, no less. Two nights later, the Thunder faced the Nuggets, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went 2-for-13 through three quarters, and Nikola Jokic gave his team 5-for-19 from the field and 1-for-7 from deep. The Joker was a minus -20 and looked awful.

To SGA's credit, he finally came alive in the fourth quarter and made four of six shots, but his run was insignificant because his team already had a handle on Denver without their fearless leader's scoring. Nobody who watched that game would tell you the 2x MVP's performance was impressive.

It doesn't really matter what the excuse is. The two stars' struggles were a much-needed reality check about the NBA: anyone can have a bad night for whatever reason. It's the slice of grace Vic needed. Now, the Spurs' franchise star gets a chance to bounce back, and with a big night, he can remind the basketball world why he was favored to win MVP this season.

Wembanyama must somewhat keep pace with SGA offensively to win MVP

With a strong night against Houston at the Moody Center on Prime Video, Wemby gets an opportunity to flip the conversation back in his favor. He's mostly been getting criticism, and the Alien can't win an MVP if analysts and former players are centering their Spurs talk around what he's doing wrong.

The voters have already made it clear what they value when choosing the Most Valuable Player, so Vic must acquiesce. The Rockets showed the Mavericks how devastating their defense can be when they held their Texas rival to 12 points in the second quarter while they put up 38. After losing three of four to San Antonio last season, they'll look to do the same to the Spurs.

A superstar of Wemby's caliber, with the goals he has, can't allow that to happen, especially after opening night's performance. Ime Udoka's crew will bump, push, and grab to keep the 7'4" Mind Flayer off balance, but that's nothing new to Victor. As he said himself, he needs to be more decisive and play basketball like he's always known how. I agree, but with even more force.

That version of Wembanyama led the Spurs to the NBA Finals last season, and it can help him secure MVP in this one. The coaches and his teammates have to help make the game easier for their French superstar, but if Wemby brings his full package and just sprinkles in what he's added over the summer, we should see fireworks at the Moody Center.

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