Coming into the season, the San Antonio Spurs were expected to compete for a playoff spot, with only the 17th-best odds to win a championship. It was hard to project a core of under-22 players to make noise in a competitive Western Conference, especially with how dominant the Oklahoma City Thunder looked en route to their championship last season.
Seven months later, the Spurs are heading to the NBA Finals, led by arguably the best player in the world, Victor Wembanyama.
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The 22-year-old has a chance to enter rarefied air, but what exactly would a championship ring mean this early into his career?
Historical context
If the Spurs beat the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, and Wembanyama wins Finals MVP, he would become the first player since Dwyane Wade in 2006 to win a championship and Finals MVP in his third season. On top of that, he would become the second-youngest Finals MVP in NBA history behind only Magic Johnson.
In a sports landscape that prioritizes championships over everything else, a win would push Wembanyama into a whole new stratosphere.
His first Finals appearance already comes earlier in his career than the likes of LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant.
Their path to the Finals only adds to the impressive nature of this run, as the Thunder are an all-time team, albeit banged up after two years of deep playoff runs.
Although it has nothing to do with the quality of basketball being played, a championship in the mecca of the basketball world would also greatly influence public perception of the win.
The future face of the sport on the biggest stage — a dream come true for the league’s ratings.
Wembanyama’s path to becoming an all-time great
Going off raw talent alone, it’s not hard to imagine Wembanyama becoming one of the greatest players of all time. His defensive dominance is unlike anything the league has ever seen — evident by him winning the first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year award.
That win is likely the first of many, and the record of four DPOYs seems to be a real possibility for Wembanyama.
His gravity around the rim is a game-changing trait akin to Stephen Curry‘s revolutionary three-point shooting and demands unparalleled attention from opposing coaching staffs. With that in mind, if Wembanyama can stay a top-three offensive player, he is undoubtedly the best player in the league by a long shot.
In the long run, he will need to improve his shot selection and playmaking out of double teams if he wants to become an all-time player on the offensive end. In only his third full season, Wembanyama has taken major steps in becoming a more complete offensive player, so it’s not hard to imagine him rounding out these parts of his game.
With one of the best young cores in the league surrounding him, Wembanyama and the Spurs are expected to dominate the next decade. Given the parity of the modern NBA, projecting championships is a futile exercise, but it’s safe to say the Spurs should win multiple championships with this current core.
Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle are the perfect players to insulate a Wembanyama-led team. Head coach Mitch Johnson’s time spent under Gregg Popovich has unsurprisingly paid dividends, as Johnson has solidified himself as an elite coach this season.
The biggest question mark remains Wembanyama’s health. History hasn’t been kind to players of his stature, but his work ethic and commitment to his body could break the mold for 7-footers.
A rematch of 1999
Championship or not, Wembanyama is on his way to becoming an all-time great. His unprecedented defensive ability alone will keep him among the league’s best for years to come, barring injury.
The Spurs are the heavy favorites going into the series against the Knicks, but the Knicks’ offensive versatility will certainly pose a real threat to Wembanyama and the Spurs.
A win over the Knicks in 1999 kick-started the Tim Duncan-era dynasty, and now, Wembanyama has a chance to repeat history.
