How Victor Wembanyama normalizes the absurd: ‘He’s 7-5 with like an 8-foot wingspan’

Victor Wembanyama hones his own brand of basketball daily.

On the court, the 7-foot-4 center is a rare breed of shot-blocking, ball-handling, passing, court vision, floor spacing, transition scoring, competitiveness and clutch-time scoring — and he’s also not shy about crying after regular-season comebacks, critiquing effort in the All-Star Game and being the arbiter of ethical basketball.

Away from the game, he has trained with monks, enjoys reading science fiction, goes to sleep at a decent hour, practices yoga, welcomes chess challengers in public parks and performs handstands.

The two-time All-Star was already deemed the total package before the San Antonio Spurs selected him first overall in 2023, but he’s quickly proven to be the NBA’s most unique combination of talents and interests.

It’s the talent that’s ultimately why Wemby is so tantalizing.

Sunday’s 29-point, eight-rebound, four-block, two-steal performance in a 145-120 win over the Houston Rockets, which included two made 3-pointers and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, shows why the Spurs are fortunate to have Wembanyama as their franchise centerpiece.

To cap the matchup’s opening period, Wembanyama blocked an Amen Thompson layup try while barely leaving his feet. Within minutes of the second quarter starting, he finished an alley-oop pass from De’Aaron Fox and then spiked a Tari Eason layup attempt out of bounds. Right before halftime, he pump-faked Houston’s defense and drained a buzzer-beating 3. Early in the third quarter, he completed a transition reverse dunk to earn an and-1 opportunity.

Sunday was another game-long display of why Wembanyama horrifies opponents from either side of the ball. On a possession-by-possession basis, teammates, opponents, referees and fans barely know what to expect, and that’s been the entire point of watching even a few seconds of him in action.

Depending on the day, the MVP debate is its own bag of madness. Reigning winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets could be battling for the honor. The league’s recently instituted 65-game threshold for awards could help the case for Cade Cunningham, who has only missed eight of the Detroit Pistons’ 63 games and has them atop the Eastern Conference. Even Jaylen Brown carried the Boston Celtics enough sans Jayson Tatum to warrant at least some MVP consideration.

But Wembanyama’s case is as strong as any of those players.

On the season, the Spurs’ net-rating swing based on his presence is the difference between them being potentially the NBA’s best team and aggressively average. Entering Sunday, San Antonio had a net rating of plus-15.5 in 1,426 minutes with Wembanyama on the court compared to a mark of minus-0.3 in 1,603 minutes with him on the bench, per NBA.com. Defensively, opponents shoot only 42 percent when he plays and 48 percent when he does not. That impact is furthered by teams averaging only 38.4 points in the paint per 100 possessions when going against Wembanyama versus 51.6 when he’s away from the court.

The favorite for Defensive Player of the Year has been key to the Spurs’ leap up the Western Conference standings after missing the playoffs the last six seasons, their longest postseason drought.

Although he’s missed 15 games this season, he technically remains in the running for MVP and has undoubtedly been the biggest reason why San Antonio is on pace to clinch its first playoff berth since the 2018-19 season. The games in which he has appeared have provided a litany of dominant performances and worthwhile moments that may not secure MVP honors this season, but are credible glimpses as to why a few such nods could be in his future.

He joined Anthony Davis (Oct. 26, 2016) as the only players in the last 35 years to record 40 points and 15 rebounds in a season opener. In December, when he struggled with health a bit, he still finished the month with averages of 21.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.0 blocks while shooting 56.7 percent, 40.7 percent from behind the arc. That month, Wembanyama also helped the Spurs beat the defending champion Thunder three times en route to an appearance in the NBA Cup final.

Since Jan. 1, he leads the NBA in total blocks (90) and in total plus-minus (plus-316), carrying the Spurs to the league’s best record (23-8) over that span. Wembanyama’s growth and dominance, while still honing his own playing style, is why he has a chance to join Hall of Famers Tim Duncan and David Robinson as pillars of Spurs championship glory, even if some may wish he played a bit closer to the rim on offense. But it’s understandable why he experiments on the court when he’s taller than Ralph Sampson and can shoot 37 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s. At 22 years old, Wembanyama is still harnessing his gifts and continuing to break his own mold. He’ll figure out his inside-outside balance in his own time, but that only makes his current strides so remarkable.

Imagine learning on any job in such a dominant fashion.

As of Sunday, San Antonio has won 15 of its last 16 games, marking its best 16-game stretch since Dec. 21, 2015, to Jan. 22, 2016. After the Spurs’ home win over the Rockets, Wembanyama’s childhood basketball idol, Kevin Durant, was complimentary about the young big’s penchant for affecting opponents.

“He’s 7-5 with like an 8-foot wingspan,” Durant said Sunday. “He’s going to get his hand on some basketballs … He’s going to block some shots.”