There are many different ways the Celtics can approach this offseason, with anything from running it back to blowing it up on the table. But even though Boston plays in the Eastern Conference, it’s hard to watch what the Spurs are doing in these playoffs, and not think that every team will have to gear their roster around beating Victor Wembanyama for the foreseeable future.
Wemby was absolutely ridiculous in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday night, putting up 41 points, 24 rebounds, and 3 blocks while leading San Antonio to an epic double overtime victory in Oklahoma City.
I don’t want to overreact or be a prisoner of the moment, but Wemby and this Spurs team are only going to get a lot better with budding young stars in their sophomore, Stephon Castle, and rookie, Dylan Harper. But the engine is obviously Victor, and at just 22 years old, it’s pretty easy to imagine a potential Celtics title in the Jayson Tatum era running through San Antonio.
They don’t have to build their entire team around stopping him, but they definitely need to be ready for that matchup. And while there’s no clear path to exploiting Wemby, it’s already apparent what does not work, and that’s playing a conventional rim-running, dribble-hand-off big man.
Teams need a stretch-big to combat Wemby's defense
If the center can’t shoot and space the floor, Wembanyama can completely ignore him, basically playing goalie. We saw Rudy Gobert dominate the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic, then get abused in the Spurs series, getting eclipsed on offense to the point that it felt like the Timberwolves were playing 4-on-5 on offense.
The same thing almost immediately happened in Game 1 of this series as the Thunder played their starting center, Isaiah Hartenstein, just 12 minutes before Mark Daigneault wisely pulled the plug. Wemby is simply big and athletic enough to close out that DHO without compromising his rim protection, and there’s nothing teams can do.
What teams are learning quickly is that the only chance to score on the Spurs is to space them out and drag Wembanyama away from the paint. That means spreading the floor with five shooters and not giving Vic a place to hide. That doesn’t bode well for the Celtics with Neemias Queta starting at center, and while Luka Garza (and maybe Nikola Vucevic) can offer decent spacing, it’s hard to imagine either one as a go-to option considering their defensive shortcomings.
So, what’s needed is a stretch big man who can give you some rim protection or switchability on defense. Unfortunately, that’s an extremely short list of players. Frankly, it’s much easier to come up with the list of players who won’t work than to think of guys who fit the mold.
No obvious direction for Celtics to turn
He was awful last season, but Myles Turner could be an option. Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis were obviously ideal fits. If Brook Lopez weren’t so washed, he could be a choice. But without going after much bigger names who are unlikely to move, it’s hard to come up with a lot of realistic solutions to the Wemby problem.
So, as usual in this short Celtics’ offseason, all roads lead back to Giannis Antetokounmpo. One freak to match another. Giannis isn’t necessarily a three-point shooter, but he’s obviously not someone you’re ignoring on the offensive end, and someone who can get a head of steam, meet Wemby at the rim, and live to tell about it.
We’ll see what Boston decides to do and how much Wemby will factor into their decisions, if at all. But if the Celtics, or any other team for that matter, get to the Finals in the next few years and don’t have a plan for Victor Wembanyama, that would be borderline malpractice based on what we’ve already seen.
Add us as a preferred source on Google