Victor Wembanyama's fiery declaration should put Knicks fans on high-alert

Victor Wembanyama is no stranger to stepping up to big moments, as we've seen this postseason. He put on a two-way display that we haven't witnessed from a single player in years, and he's not looking to slow down anytime soon. The Alien is more than ready for the Spurs' blockbuster matchup against New York.

Wemby's impressive conditioning was a driving factor behind his monumental playoff run, and you can expect that to continue into this championship series.

He's no stranger to stepping up to big moments, where other players at his age tend to let their inexperience get the best of them. His understanding of his body is a big reason as to why he's separated himself from other young stars on the playoff stage.

Wemby stayed available for the Spurs despite early season issues

I'm going to be honest, I was a bit worried about Victor's season-long availability before the All-Star break. He suffered several lower-body injuries between November and December that threatened his eligibility for NBA awards.

Since recovering from those, he hasn't missed an extended number of games for the Spurs. There was a minor rib-cage ailment near the end of the season, but San Antonio didn't go for weeks at a time without him after his full return to the team in January.

A lot of credit goes to the Spurs' medical staff. They managed him well, placing him on a minutes restriction upon his return that paid off in the long run. To see him have such high usage for an entire postseason run without any of those injuries creeping back around has been impressive, especially for a seven-footer.

Victor's adjusted well to the postseason physicality

As we all know, the game slows down in the postseason. Offense gets regulated to the half-court a lot more, and referees get much tighter with their whistles. It offers up a new level of physicality that some stars can't adjust to.

Wemby is not one of those stars who can't adjust. He dealt with the increased bumps and bruises that come with the playoffs, and that couldn't be more apparent than in the West Finals. OKC tried to bully and push him around, and he still came out on top as the best player in that series.

He's not afraid to embrace the nitty-gritty. We've seen him put his body on the line to dive on the floor for loose balls and push back at aggressive defenders when they get handsy.

The Knicks aren't going to throw anything at Vic that he hasn't seen yet. Even if he has a mediocre series, it definitely won't be due to his inability to respond to their physicality. His toughness has been one of the defining attributes of his insane run, doing what only a few 22-year-olds can do at this stage.

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