After Victor Wembanyama put on one of the most spectacular individual performances in Conference Finals history in Game 1, the Oklahoma City Thunder answered back with their bench unit that just keeps getting louder. Especially, a 32-year-old role player who has quietly become Wemby’s biggest problem.
Game 1 was an absolute cinema. Wembanyama dropped 41 points and 24 rebounds in a double-overtime thriller, joining Wilt Chamberlain in the record books and dragging San Antonio to a 122-115 road win.
Then, in Game 2, Wemby finished with 21 points on 16 shots as the Thunder evened the series, 122-113, thanks to 7-footer Isaiah Hartenstein, who successfully kept Wemby on the floor.
Game 3 was worse. Wembanyama finished with 26 points, but was held to just four rebounds and three assists. The Spurs got a 15-0 lead to open at home but the Thunder’s bench showed their class, helping OKC escape with a convincing 123-108 victory after dropping a franchise-record 76 points from the second unit.
That’s where Shaquille O’Neal got a bit frustrated as the Lord Supreme of all big men. On “Inside the NBA,” the four-time champion called out Wemby directly, putting the rest of the league on notice about what he’s seeing.
He said, “Imma need Wemby to do more. Game 1 he had 41/24, they won. Game 2 21/26. It’s not enough. I can say that as Lord Supreme of all big men… He has to do more. I heard him say he’s not making his teammates better. It’s because he’s not dominating the game. When Alex Caruso is on you, I don’t want to see a turnaround.”
Shaq calls out Wemby for not doing enough in the Conference Finals 👀
“Imma need Wemby to do more. Game 1 he had 41/24, they won. Game 2 21/26. It’s not enough. I can say that as Lord Supreme of all big men…. He has to do more. I heard him say he’s not making his teammates… https://t.co/UP4mUqaYd9 pic.twitter.com/Xg8LrJsofw
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 24, 2026
San Antonio’s defensive game plan was to have Wembanyama ignore Caruso on the perimeter, sag off him and guard the paint. However, the strategy failed as he punished the strategy, scoring 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting in Game 1.
When the Spurs later switched to a zone defense, Caruso routinely found gaps in the coverage, organized the offense, and pulled Wembanyama away from the rim. He scored 17 and 15, respectively, in the next two games of the series.
Wembanyama is only 22 and playing in his first conference finals. His long-term potential remains immense, but for now, though, the Thunder have found a way to neutralize him, and an experienced veteran coming off the bench is executing the plan perfectly.
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