After overcoming the 25-point deficit against the Clippers, the San Antonio Spurs thrashed the Rockets 145-120. At the center of these two wins and their 47-17 season is Victor Wembanyama. After missing the last two seasons’ playoffs, the French phenom is ready for his first postseason run.

“So, I have a little bit of playoff experience in France.” Speaking to Zora Stephenson, Victor Wembanyama spoke about his mentality, his summer training, and playing in the playoffs. “Much less talent, obviously. But still, like, a short amount of time between games and you play the same team multiple times. And I’ve been in series that were super physical. I think that’s gonna be helpful. For me, it’s gonna take a lot of maturity.

Because I feel like playoffs are also a place where teams can fall apart. But when we get there, I’ve decided, we’re gonna go all the way. At the end of the day, it’s a competitive game. And we hear, like, it’s our job, okay, but it’s also our dream. That’s what’s important. And the one thing I’m gonna fight for, even if I lose everything, the one thing I can’t lose is my dreams, you know. So I’m gonna fight for this to death.”

Coming back from an injury that derailed his 2024-25 season, Wemby is playing with vengeance. In the off-season, the Spurs center got to work early and had an extraordinary summer. Training with Shaolin monks and spending hours with legends like Kevin Garnett and Hakeem Olajuwon, mentally and physically sharpening himself. And the fruits of his labor are visible, as San Antonio is just 2.5 games behind the leader and current champions, OKC.

Despite being just 22-years-old, Victor Wembanyama truly is the leader of the locker room and is not afraid to show his emotions. On Thursday, the Spurs were trailing by as many as 25 points and needed a second-half miracle to overcome the deficit. Wemby’s late-game heroics, including a wide-open dunk with 16 seconds remaining, triggered a release of tears of joy on the court.

He called it the “hardest game” of his life. And the tears after reflected his hard work.

Victor Wembanyama continues to build Spurs momentum for the playoffs

Just last month, San Antonio went on an 11-0 run, and it was a 10-game win streak since 2015-16. In those 11 games, Wemby had 7 double-double performances, and those contributions have helped San Antonio have the best rating in the conference. Now, they are finding their feet as the win against the Rockets was their four straight and 15 of their past 16 contests.

The Spurs scored their most points in a game this season against Houston. Victor Wembanyama’s performance was the perfect highlight package. He led the scoring with 29 points on an efficient 9-of-13 shooting, including two conversions from beyond the arc. It also had eight rebounds, four blocks, two steals, and an assist to his tally.

Speaking about the control, Wemby added after the game, “We figured out their adjustments that they were trying to do, and just decided to hurt them elsewhere.” The performance and comments truly paint the picture that the Spurs star is ready for his debut postseason run.