Tuesday night, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder finally picked up a win over the San Antonio Spurs, whom they had previously lost to three times this season, in dominating fashion, 119-98.
A big part of the victory came from the champs containing the seven-foot-five sensation, Victor Wembanyama, which they could not do in the first three meetings. The elite talent scored 17 points on 7-15 shooting and was a -14 on the court.
More: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dishes on why Victor Wembanyama is always a mismatch
In Wembanyama’s short tenure in the league, fans and experts have seen how easy the center draws mixmatches for many players, even making it challenging for some of the other taller players in the league.
Most of it stems from his height and inhuman-like wingspan, and Thunder shooting guard Alex Caruso made it known in his post-game interview, but also discredited part of the superstar’s physical ability.
Caruso says Wemby is not as strong as some of the other ‘bigs’ in the league
In the locker room, while answering questions after the game, Caruso was asked about what he is learning about picking up on certain tendencies from the French superstar, and his answer could appear controversial to some.
“Offensively, he’s still really raw.. His length is an issue, but he’s not as strong as a Giannis, like a Jokic, Sengun, or even a KD… That’s something you have to use to your advantage,” the two-time NBA champion said.
Now, of course, Caruso is not saying that Wembanyama is not strong at all. Still, whenever a player calls out another’s strength compared to other great players and essentially suggests it as a weakness to exploit, one can see why someone would not take that lightly.
While Wembanyama did not make a public response to the comments by Caruso, do not be surprised if the early MVP candidate comes out with a vengeance in the Spurs’ fifth and final regular-season matchup with the Thunder on Feb. 4 and shows why his strength and dominance shouldn’t be questioned.
