The excitement around Victor Wembanyama since arriving in the NBA has always been sky high, just like his stature. He lived up to expectations in his rookie season and impressed last campaign, earning two back-to-back All-Star invites.

But something feels different this year; the young San Antonio Spurs star has gone from ‘talented hooper’ to ‘exceptional leader’. And sometimes when you lead by example, the emotions show.

That was the case last week when Wemby and his Spurs teammates battled to erase a 25-point deficit and beat the LA Clippers 112-116 on March 6. The Frenchman was left breathless after the final 15 and was visibly crying following the result. While some former players and analysts are ridiculing him for his emotional outburst, former NBA champion Paul Pierce feels otherwise.

“I think the guys that show this type of emotion are the ones that you don’t know what they put into it,” Pierce said on the latest segment of the No Fouls Given podcast. “And when they go through something, they overcome like a hurdle, sometimes that comes out. Like, maybe Wemby hasn’t been in a situation this type of win that was one of their gutsy wins of the season because it was on a back-to-back, down 25, they could have packed it in. And he was like woah ‘I’ve never been a part of nothing like that before’, you know, in the NBA.”

Spurs trailed 66-46 at halftime as they were heading towards defeat. But they came back strong in the final 30, for 70 fourth-quarter points. Wemby top-scored for the home team, with 27 points (11-21 FG, 3-8 3PT), 10 rebounds, four blocks, and clutch threes.

Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard paced LAC with 30 points (10-20 FG), 9 rebounds. But he did give away four turnovers in the last 15 that contributed to their loss and ended the Clippers’ three-game win streak.

Exhausted but elated, Wembanyama told ESPN, “I’ve got zero left right now… I was about to pass out.” He called it “one of the best wins,” adding the prior 30 hours (including the 38 he scored vs the Detroit Pistons) were “the best 30 hours of basketball” of his career, praising his team’s resilience through “very different trials.”

Victor Wembanyama & Co. Peaking at Perfect Phase of the Season

HC Mitch Johnson’s boys are now 14-6 in their last 20 games, surging with a +13.3 point differential, averaging 121.2 PPG to 107.9 points allowed. They’re second in the West with a 48-17 record and seem to be finding their rhythm at the right moment, just before playoff season.

They outdid the Boston Celtics last night with another convincing 116-125 win, taking them to a 9-1 record in their last 10. Wemby starred once again with 39 points and 11 rebounds while De’Aaron Fox chipped in with 25 points and nine assists. They remain undefeated against the Celtics and Eastern Conference leaders, the Detroit Pistons, in the regular season.

While Victor Wembanyama’s dominance and Fox’s playmaking form a potent core, the Spurs’ title path hinges on injury luck and bench depth that will be tested during the playoffs. Their record against OKC speaks for itself, but the defending champions are a different beast in the postseason. A Western Conference showdown between the two remains a certain possibility. If they cross that hurdle, then championship bells could be sounding in San Antonio this summer.