After the San Antonio Spurs went 3-0 against the OKC Thunder, they were considered the biggest threat to the defending champions in the Western Conference. Since then, the hype has certainly diluted, especially after the Thunder beat them in their last contest. However, that threat certainly has not withered.

While the Spurs have shown a strong backbone even without Victor Wembanayama, we are past the denial that the Spurs go where he takes them. At 7 ft 5, whatever lacunas that the Spurs star might have in his game, he makes up for a lot of them. But Wembanyama has to play against the best in the business, and unless he addresses the loopholes in his game, he will be stoppable.

Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas pointed out one part that the Spurs star could fix that could book the team’s ticket to the Western Conference Finals.

“Wemby is learning in real time, adjusting in real time,” Arenas noted on Sunday. “If he is starting to play the game without putting the ball on the floor, the chances of them getting to the WCF is gonna be heightened. I’m sorry. Defensively, 7 game series, him dominating, controlling the game, that gives them a chance. If he starts getting buckets without wasting energy, good luck!”

Give Wemby the ball in front of a defender, and there is nothing a defender can do to stop him, except do his best and hope he misses the shot. However, the dribble possessions are something that teams have exploited him with.

With his height, anytime he dribbles the ball, smaller defenders have a higher chance to swoop in and go for an instant theft.

Brooklyn Nets’ coach, Jordi Fernánde, had previously pointed out this weakness in Wemby’s game.

But as Arenas noted, The Alien is learning and adjusting in real time. The change is evident from his creation turnover percentage.

In his first season, it was 16.17%, which went down to 13.68% in his second season, and now it is down to 12.4%.

Wembanyama is learning, and he is coming for everything. If not right away, we can expect the Alien to take over in the future. Even then, it would be too soon to count them out, even for this season.

A realistic picture of Víctor Wembanyama’s Spurs in the playoffs

When Anthony Edwards exploded for 55 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a win against Wembanyama’s Spurs, the rivalry almost consumed fans from both sides. But after the final buzzer beat, the Spurs fans were left worried with a scary question. What are San Antonio’s chances in the playoffs?

When the Spurs went 3-0 against the Thunder, they didn’t become the title favorite. In light of how they’ve played this season, Victor Wembanyama and co. have a legitimate chance to go deeper into the playoffs. Well, at least statistically.

After 42 games this season, the Spurs are ranked 2nd in the West. They have also backed that standing with excellent defensive and offensive numbers.

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The Spurs currently have the fifth-best net rating in the league. Only two teams ahead of them in the West are the Thunder and the Houston Rockets. They have the third-best defensive rating in the league.

With Wembanyama on the floor, their net rating clears Thunder’s by a point, the best in the league. They are the third-best team in clutch this year, backed by the highest clutch offensive rating in the league. Given how the Spurs have performed this season, only the Rockets, Nuggets, and Thunder have a legitimate chance against them. Realistically, they have a ticket for the semifinals.