Wembanyama gags foolish question Spurs fans already knew the answer to

If you had any questions about Victor Wembanyama's ability to translate his production from the regular season into the playoffs, it's time to put those concerns to rest. Wednesday's Game 2 victory over the Timberwolves saw him add yet another impressive early-career feat to his resume.

It's getting absurd at this point. In just his third year, Wemby is making a two-way impact that's unmatched by any other player across the league, and it's leading to massive success for the Spurs. There hasn't been a point in time this postseason where they've looked out of place or rattled.

That's saying a lot for a group that has several key players who haven't even made it past their rookie contract. Wemby leads by example, setting the tone for his team on both sides of the ball.

Victor can dominate games even with scoring woes

The best players in the NBA have a knack for making a huge impact on a game or postseason series, even when they aren't dominating as scorers. Jayson Tatum immediately comes to mind. In the 2024 NBA Finals, his signature jump shot wasn't falling efficiently, but he made up for it with solid playmaking, underrated defense, and elite rebounding.

We're seeing a similar effect here with Wemby. Through the first two games of this second-round matchup against the Timberwolves, he's yet to cross the 20-point mark, averaging 15 PPG on 37.5% shooting. But he's making up for it with an intimidating defensive attack.

Victor has blocked 14 total shots in these first two games, and he's been a huge reason behind San Antonio winning the paint battle early on in the series. Game 2 was the most impressive display of interior defense, as they allowed just 36 paint points.

Wemby's been a positive on the floor in these first few matchups without a dominant scoring attack, and he's able to create this dynamic because of his ability to impact the game in more ways than one. It's also what made his regular-season MVP case such a compelling one.

Wemby's scoring does still need to get going

Don't get me wrong, I love what Victor is doing defensively, but it would be nice if he could add a bit more as a scorer. This is a must if the Spurs want to be confident about winning their next two on the road in a hostile Minnesota environment.

Now, there were some good signs in Game 2. He shot just under 50% from the floor and made a couple of his looks from downtown. There was also a stretch in the second quarter where he got into his one-on-one arsenal in the mid-post area and had some impressive baskets to extend the Spurs' lead.

The potential is there, but Wemby needs to tighten things up as a bucket getter to give the Spurs their best shot at staying consistent throughout this series. As we've seen, Minnesota is no slouch, so they're going to come out with a sense of urgency at home in the next few games.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow