SAN ANTONIO – Victor Wembanyama enjoys the towering stature of a redwood tree, possesses the nimble feet of a man half his size, owns a wingspan wider than Texas and the skillset of the game’s best guards.
It’s a fantastical combination of traits and talents that the visiting Warriors knew was impossible to stop.
But that was all right. The Warriors were not concerned with shutting down San Antonio’s transcendent talent on Wednesday night.
They only needed to make him sweat, to expend energy against men with – at least by the NBA’s outlandish standards – more reasonable proportions.
And that’s exactly what they did in Golden State’s 125-120 victory in the heart of Texas. They hurled body after body at him, invaded his space and made sure to bump him at every opportunity.
“You’ve got to make him work for everything,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “You can’t give him the easy stuff.”
Golden State employed five different individual defenders – Draymond Green, Al Horford, Jonathan Kuminga, Will Richard and Jimmy Butler – on Wembanyama in the first half alone.
His stat line was still, undeniably, impressive: 31 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and a block in 36 minutes. It was his 17th career game with at least 30 points and 10 boards.
But compared to some of the truly outlandish performances Wembanyama has compiled over the course of his first 10 games this season, the Warriors’ defense actually won their fair share of possessions.
They forced the 21-year-old Frenchman into eight turnovers, and on the vast majority of his 22 shots, a Warrior was there to contest. Whether that raised hand actually meant something is up for debate.
“When he pulls up like that for 3, it’s hard and you try your best to challenge it,” Horford said. “I felt like we did good, and we contained him as best we could.”
As he has done so often over the course of a career that has seen him earn nine all-defense selections, Draymond Green bore the brunt of the team’s toughest assignment.
Even though Wembanyama stood nearly a foot taller than Green, the wily veteran had an advantage in both the strength, and center of gravity categories.
He used both to great effect.
Though Green may have had only one official steal, his point-of-attack defense allowed his teammates – Gary Payton II was a particular standout – to swarm the driving Wembanyama.
It was the same tactic Phoenix used to hold him to just nine points earlier in the season.
And if the Spurs center was able to get off a shot against Green, it was often a tough fallaway after the Warriors captain blunted Wembanyama’s initial drive.
Of course, Wembanyama’s prodigious offensive talent is only half of the reason he is in line to become the game’s top player. His endless wingspan and coordination have turned him into basketball’s best defender, one whose mere presence deters drives.
On the season, players shoot 7.6% worse on shots guarded by Wembanyama compared to their average, according to the NBA’s official stats page.
But on Wednesday night, Steph Curry showed no fear en route to 46 points. The Warriors star made five shots in the paint, often driving right at Wembanyama and drawing fouls if he did not finish the layup.
The Warriors (7-6) know what it takes to deal with Wembanyama. Now they’ll get to put that method to the test again on Friday, when Golden State finishes the baseball-style series in San Antonio for an NBA Cup group-stage game.
“You don’t fight it, because you know that there might be some other options on the other side,” Curry said. “His presence is crazy, but there’s other ways and other outlets to create offense if you can get into the paint.”