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Nobody has solved Victor Wembanyama yet—but Knicks may have answer originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Victor Wembanyama spent the Western Conference Finals reminding everyone why he is already one of the most disruptive defenders in basketball.
Oklahoma City's offense never looked fully comfortable against San Antonio, largely because Wembanyama's presence changed what the Thunder wanted to do. Even when he was not blocking shots, he forced players to think twice about attacking the paint.
That is why the biggest question entering the NBA Finals is not whether the New York Knicks can stop Wembanyama. Nobody has really figured that out yet.
The more realistic question is whether New York can make his defensive impact less damaging than Oklahoma City did.
The Thunder were particularly vulnerable because so much of their offense depended on getting into the paint. According to one Western Conference executive, "They live in the paint," which allowed Wembanyama to take away one of Oklahoma City's biggest strengths.
The Knicks present a different challenge.
New York enters the Finals on an incredible offensive run, shooting 41% from three-point range during an 11-game winning streak while outscoring opponents by 262 points over that stretch. That level of perimeter shooting creates a very different environment than the one San Antonio saw against Oklahoma City.
Spacing could become a major factor.
Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the league's best shooting big men, which means San Antonio cannot simply pack defenders near the basket. A Western Conference scout believes Towns' shooting could help because "He's a good enough shooter to be respected."
That spacing should also create more room for Jalen Brunson to operate than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had during much of the Western Conference Finals.
Still, the Spurs have an answer of their own.
Stephon Castle spent seven games making life difficult for Gilgeous-Alexander, and San Antonio will likely ask him to do the same against Brunson. The Knicks star dominated throughout the Eastern Conference Finals, but Castle represents a much tougher defensive assignment than many of the matchups Brunson recently faced.
Wembanyama will remain the biggest problem New York has to solve. The difference is that the Knicks have a style that could force San Antonio's defense to operate in ways Oklahoma City never could.
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