Wembanyama critics have developed a catchphrase that's already biting them

If you’re on NBA X (Twitter), you’ve probably seen some variation of the phrase “the idea of Victor Wembanyama is better than the actual player,” and if you’re a San Antonio fan, you’re tired of hearing it. It’s a creative, but ridiculous, way to call the Spurs superstar overrated.

Essentially, these online naysayers (or trolls, really) are implying that people rate Wemby based on his upside, not the player he is right now.

Wemby being pegged with GOAT potential doesn’t mean he can’t be one of the best players in the league already. This season, he’s proven to be exactly that—a clear top-five player in the association who continues to not just meet all the hype but exceed it.

Victor Wembanyama is coming for it all

Wembanyama came into the league with virtually unforeseen levels of buzz. It can be tough for young players to deal with the pressures of high expectations early in their careers. That can be especially true when those expectations entail becoming one of the greatest players of all time and shifting the entire direction of a franchise.

Most kids would fold with that weight on their shoulders. Wemby has started carrying it up the mountain to the basketball pantheon.

Wemby’s list of accomplishments so far in his career is unbelievable. Unless you live under a rock, you’re well aware of that, so it doesn’t need to be rehashed here. You only have to watch him play a single time, take one glance at his Basketball-Reference page, or, heck, even just watch one YouTube highlight package to understand that Victor Wembanyama is unlike anybody the sport has ever seen.

The uniqueness of both his game and his personality give Wemby the chance to enter rare air in basketball history. That’s been obvious since long before he was first drafted to the Spurs. But what the doubters fail to recognize is that the idea of his potential isn’t just based on, well, the idea. Night in and night out, The Alien is going out there and actually proving that he’s worthy of all the hubbub.

Victor Wembanyama is a top five player right now

This season, Wemby is averaging 23.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1 steal, and a league-best 3 blocks in under 30 minutes per game. He’s also shooting 50.1% from the field and 34.6% from deep. His numbers don’t quite pop as much as Nikola Jokic’s or Luka Doncic’s, but again, he’s not even logging 30 minutes a night (29.3).

On a per-possession, per-minute basis, Wemby is as impactful as anyone in the sport. He puts his massive handprints on every single play when he’s on the floor. Offensively, he’s unstoppable, a one-of-one matchup nightmare, especially when his jumper is falling.

Defensively, he shuts down the paint absurdly well. His already gaudy block numbers don’t even begin to demonstrate how much he imposes his will and takes away shots everywhere on the floor.

Even when he’s having a bad shooting game, his mere presence opens things up for his teammates to take over. He’s elevating everyone around him, fueling the success of what’s been arguably the best team in the NBA this year.

So, yes, Wemby’s potential is going to come up any time he’s discussed, and rightfully so. But ignoring what he’s doing in the moment to establish that upside is, frankly, nothing short of moronic.