Victor Wembanyama was not a happy camper after losing the NBA Championship four games to one to the New York Knicks. That’s more than fair. If he wants to lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, he has to work on his endurance because he needs a full 48 minutes in him every time.
There’s no doubt that Wemby is one of the most unique players in the history of the NBA. There have been a lot of seven-footers over the years, but few of them have the skills he has. Wemby can shoot from distance, block almost anything, and actually has solid handles for a guy his size.
Naturally, he’s not a perfect player by any stretch of the imagination. Wemby is only 22 years old and just finished his third season in the league. Also, keep in mind that he’s spent large chunks of those seasons injured. He hasn’t been Zion Williamson-bad, but it has impacted his development a bit.
A major issue he has to contend with is maturity. Throughout the playoffs and the finals, Wemby was moody, difficult, and arrogant. He also didn’t really show much respect for his opponents, particularly after the Knicks won the championship. He should eventually grow out of that. Well, hopefully.
Wemby needs to build up his stamina in the offseason
But his arrogance and immaturity are Wembanyama’s mental game. There is a big problem with his work on the court, mainly his lack of endurance. It’s easy to see in his production numbers, which drop substantially in the second and fourth quarters as each half comes to an end.
During the finals, Wemby was averaging 34.1 minutes per game, which is up roughly five minutes from the regular season. That’s a big increase for him. This impacted his effectiveness in the fourth quarter. Games four and five were really bad for him as the clock ran down.
Contrasting that with Jalen Brunson’s performance for the Knicks makes it look worse. He went from 35 regular season minutes per game to 36.9 in the postseason. He regularly dismantled the Spurs in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points in the final frame of game five compared to Wemby’s three.
Champions show up in the dying minutes of major games to get the win. Wembanyama didn’t do that because he was too gassed, while Brunson just kept rolling. If Wemby wants a championship ring, he has to be prepared to play a full 48 minutes and keep producing the whole time. That’s how it’s done.