Victor Wembanyama's NBA Finals memories will fuel a triumphant MVP run

Victor Wembanyama has made it clear that the MVP award isn't his top priority this season. The San Antonio Spurs' heartbreaking loss in the NBA Finals is still fresh on his mind, but his reflection on that series could end up fueling a run for that Michael Jordan Trophy.

There's nothing wrong with dwelling on losses, but only if you're doing it for the right reasons. For Wemby, that five-game series against the New York Knicks should serve as a lesson, providing a checklist of things to add to his game on both sides of the floor.

Now, it's on him to apply those lessons and use the motivation of that loss to come back even stronger this season. The basketball world is patiently waiting to see how its newest superstar responds to his first-ever playoff disappointment.

Wembanyama must make a statement on the offensive end

During that Finals series, the Knicks did an amazing job getting physical with Wemby, which kept him from dictating his spots on the offensive end. This forced him to settle for shots further away from the basket- which he is capable of making- but it limited his overall impact as a scorer.

This season, he must take ownership of his territory on this side of the floor. Whether he's moving defenders out of the way as he rolls to the rim or pinning opponents behind him to call for mid-post touches, it's imperative that Wembanyama puts his foot down and gets to his kill zones.

He'll have plenty of chances to showcase his improvement in that area this season, as several teams across the league got bigger. Squads like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Miami Heat, and others focused on adding more size and physicality to their roster this past summer.

This is the perfect opportunity for Wemby to apply what he learned on that championship stage and prove that it'll take more than just tacking on a few big bodies to hinder his path to greatness.

Great players know how to turn disappointment into motivation

There's a long list of NBA stars who suffered devastating early postseason losses, only to use it as fuel to come back stronger. Would LeBron be the legend he is without those early career Finals disappointments? How about Michael Jordan? Sure, he went six-for-six in each of his championship rounds, but they were preceded by years of Eastern Conference playoff exits.

If Wemby wants to follow in their footsteps, he must approach those playoff hardships just as they did. That Knicks series- and the criticism afterwards- should put a battery in his back to strike harder this season. He has the keys to unlock the next level of his game; now it's time for him to put them into the ignition.

What a scary sight for the rest of the league: a fired-up Victor Wembanyama, hungry to avenge a difficult Finals loss. You couldn't write up a better pathway to an MVP award than that.

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