The San Antonio Spurs have experienced a great ascension this season. Last year, the franchise spent their time “learn” each other. This season, the priority has shifted to winning. Yet, the process of learning never stops, especially after a hard loss. Tonight against the Chicago Bulls, the Spurs lost a double-digit lead in the fourth and ended up losing the game. And while Victor Wembanyama continues to generate great praise around his name, he remains hard on himself.

With the way the Spurs have played this season, Wemby felt “We should have more wins”. But nothing comes without earning it. And that’s the message the franchise cornerstone wanted to send to his teammates after their breakdown against the Bulls. “This one is a tough one for sure but we need those to grow. There’s going to be close games. There’s going to be games where we are up. I’m not worried about when we’re down. But there is going to be games when we are up and we have to keep to lead,” Wembanyama proclaimed.

In terms of scoring the ball, even Victor Wembanyama fell flat. Aside from a free throw, he wasn’t able to score. Still, some things don’t change. One of them is the 21-year-old being a shot-blocking juggernaut. Against the Bulls, he added another 8 today. At this point in his career, Wembanyama already has more blocks than some of the most decorated rim protectors in NBA history.

Hence, the ceiling DeMarcus Cousins gave him is to be the best defensive player of all time at the very least. That sentiment is quickly spreading around the league as even Bobby Portis seems to agree. “He get three blocks every game. And then he handling the ball, hesi, pull-ups, step-backs, 7’4″. I don’t know man bro special though I like him a lot. I got to get me a Wemby jersey signed for sure,” Portis said while on Run It Back. 

Victor Wembanayma is progressing rapidly

Th curiosity loomed from the very moment the generational center became a rookie. The NBA world wondered just how dominant a 7’4″ ball-handling big could be. Well, Victor Wembanyama is pushing past all those limits in just his second season. On the path to make another All-Defensive Team, Wemby’s point output has ballooned to 25.6 points per game.

His offensive game in particular continues to grow multifolds. With a pinpoint passer such as Chris Paul always present, Wembanyama remains a recurring lob threat. In addition, the advent of a consistent three-point jumpshot is starting to take defenses by surprise. What can you do when a towering center is doing a crossover into a three?

His high release point makes it close to impossible to contest his shots to a point that bothers him.

Then there is the contributions on the defensive end. That’s where Wembanyama has separated himself from arguably any player in the league. In 31 games this season, Victor Wembanyama has accumulated 124 blocked shots. No one else has crossed 75 even with more games played than the French phantom.

That aside, as far as the Spurs go, his presence is enough to deter opponents away from the paint. He accounts for 72.5% of the Spurs’ total clocks. Moreover, he is also one of the leading shot contesters, with 333 shots contested up until this point. The potential for the 21-year-old is beyond the charts.

And with his mindset, it might be well within his reach.