Knicks had no answer for Victor Wembanyama until he made this decision, says 10× NBA All-Star

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Knicks had no answer for Victor Wembanyama until he made this decision, says 10× NBA All-Star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama has already cemented his place among the NBA’s elite in only his third season. Surpassing the lofty expectations placed upon him, Wembanyama led the Spurs back into the playoffs and all the way to the NBA Finals. However, their remarkable postseason journey came to a painful end as the New York Knicks defeated San Antonio in five games.

After the defeat, several analysts and former players pointed to different reasons behind the Spurs’ downfall. On 7PM in Brooklyn, 10× NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony argued that Wembanyama may have leaned too heavily on his teammates instead of continuing to dominate offensively.

“And when I say that, hear me out when I say that because of the dominance that he portrayed in OKC series, right, as far as in the paint, touching the paint, paint touches, nobody can do that,” Melo said.

“The games that he did that against the Knicks, it was the same thing in the paint, going hard, going to work. But I also think that because he trusted his teammates so much, he put so much trust into his teammates that it took away from him being dominant in the paint.”

The Spurs front office built a talented supporting cast around Wembanyama, pairing him with veteran star guard De’Aaron Fox while also relying on promising young talents such as Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. However, during the Finals, Fox committed several costly mistakes late in games against New York’s relentless defensive pressure.

Despite those struggles, Wembanyama frequently created opportunities for his guards rather than demanding the ball on every possession. In certain stretches, that approach allowed the Knicks’ defense to recover and avoid dealing with the constant pressure Wembanyama can generate near the rim.

Still, the Finals defeat provided a valuable learning experience for the young French star. Wembanyama will be expected to return even stronger in pursuit of another title opportunity.

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