It’s not very often that a player gets compared to Stephen Curry. Definitely not a big man. Yet, that is exactly where the conversation around Victor Wembanyama has arrived. Wemby is already changing how opposing teams approach the Spurs. But his latest performance offered another glimpse of just how difficult he is to contain. It massively reflected on Saturday night against the Wolves.

Following that, the most interesting assessment of his impact – the Steph comparison – came from a teammate. 

Speaking after San Antonio’s 121–111 victory, De’Aaron Fox compared Wembanyama’s influence on opposing defenses to Curry’s renowned offensive gravity. 

“His gravity is like Steph Curry’s. Like when Steph’s on the court, he might not have the ball, but you can feel the defense leaning towards him. And Vic’s the same way. When he doesn’t have the ball, you can feel the defense leaning towards him. When we talk about him getting other people shots, it’s not him getting the assist. If he rolls to the basket, he knows he’s going to pull two or three defenders. Then when he does have the ball, we know he’s going to have four to six to eight eyes on him at all times,” Fox said, speaking at the post-game presser.

Fox’s comparison carries weight because Curry has spent years forcing defenses to adjust their entire coverage around his shooting threat. Fittingly, this comparison dropped hours after the superstar’s dominating night in San Francisco. 

The internet was filled with THAT ankle breaker!

Victor Wembanyama creates a different kind of problem. His combination of size, shooting and ability to finish around the rim makes it difficult for opponents to decide whether to protect the paint or stay connected to San Antonio’s perimeter players.

The numbers from Saturday offered a convincing example of that threat. 

Wembanyama finished with 43 points, six blocks and three three-pointers, becoming the third player in NBA history to record at least 40 points, six blocks and three made threes in a single game before turning 23 (Bob McAdoo & Kristaps Porzingis before him). 

One highlight captured the unusual skill set particularly well. Wembanyama threw the ball off the backboard to himself before finishing with a powerful alley-oop, turning a difficult possession into one of the night’s defining moments. 

On the defensive end, he put up a more entertaining highlight.  

Victor Wembanyama started off the game with a thunderous block, rejecting Jonathan Kuminga. And the force didn’t leave JK alone, as he again blocked twice later in the game. It also included a dramatic block on his three-point attempt.

Head coach Mitch Johnson also pointed to the team’s execution rather than treating the performance as an isolated individual achievement. 

“It really causes a problem for the other team. Whether that’s screening, whether that’s spacing, whether that’s handling the basketball and playing the two-man game or three-man game even,” Mitch said after the game.

Fox’s Curry comparison is particularly interesting because it describes an impact that traditional box scores cannot fully capture. 

Stephen Curry bends defenses through the threat of a three-pointer from almost anywhere on the court. Victor Wembanyama can pull defenders toward the rim, force rotations with his rolls and punish teams that give him too much space outside.

That creates opportunities before he even touches the ball. And it certainly helped his shooters.

Fox finished with 22 points, while Dylan Harper helped the Spurs maintain their offensive rhythm, scoring 25 points. When the Timberwolves tried to stay home on the perimeter, the 7-foot-4 center had room to attack.

For a young Spurs team still developing its offensive identity, having a player who naturally creates those openings is a significant advantage. It also gives Fox and the other playmakers more room to operate without having to manufacture every scoring opportunity themselves.

With the championship aspirations still high, the Spurs are heading in the right direction. Most importantly, veteran Tobias Harris is yet to play for the side.