I've seen enough.
Going into the season, Wemby was projected to finish as high as the fifth-best player in the NBA by the end of the season. And if he plays 60 games this season, that ranking, high as it is, might be seen as a massive underrating years from now.
The NBA's own writer Shaun Powell, suggested in his reactionary article of the Spurs' and Mavs' season opener that Wemby & Co. spoiled the debut of highlly-touted rookie Cooper Flagg. But outside of Flagg starting out of position as Dallas' point guard, the actual coming out party was for Wemby instead, as he has apparently taken the reins of the league preemptively from what now may be considered the "old guard" -- and in this case, I am indeed talking about the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic.
To quickly recap: in 30 minutes of play, Wembanyama put up 40 points on 15/21 shooting, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a 33-point massacre of the in-state and divisional rival Dallas Mavericks. Translated, Wembanyama was a single missed three away from making three shots for every four that he took with the fourth-highest usage rate in the league through opening play, and didn't commit a single turnover. Moreover, this was also put up against a Mavs defense that was power ranked as a borderline top-10 unit by virtue of their size alone, at least when fully healthy. And fully healthy they were on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
And it didn't matter.
Has the Victor Wembanyama emergence finally happened?
It has been popular to fawn over Victor Wembanyama on all of the potential that he holds. After all, his height ranges from 7'4 to 7'6 depending on who you ask, has incredible defensive instincts, and moves and shoots incredibly well for a player of his size. Even before the season started, many locked him in as the runaway favorite to win this year's (and the next three in a row) Defensive Player of the Year award.
Then there was the offseason lore: training with monks, conditioning under the whistle of Kevin Garnett, drilling footwork with Hakeem Olajuwon. Despite only clearing 40 games in 2024-25, Wemby was busy for a guy recovering from a blood clot. But aside from his bill of health, the question around Wemby's potential was always going to be how fast the training and lightning-fast improvement would fully matriculate for him. Could Victor Wembanyama actually grow into a ball-dominant focal point on offense, the way he already is on the less glamorous end of the court?
Stats aside, he's already answered that after just one night. Wemby created a full season's worth of highlights in just one night. But what was sneakily more impressive than the pump fake into a double reverse windmill (!?) and the block into a coast-to-coast step-back, and-one three (!?!?) were the moments you saw how far his footwork has come in just a single offseason. A player that is tall enough to use a dunk like a hook shot should not be able to have a retreat dribble and a smooth 15-20 foot fadeaway in his bag. No, what was the most impressive about Wemby's night was not the improvement on what we know he can already do, but how comfortable he looked as a near-perimeter isolation scorer against one of the few defenses that should be able to counter him.
And the Spurs, for the most part, look ready in their own way, especially Stephon Castle (22 points, 8/12 shooting, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals). He seems like he's made a big leap himself, to the point where I wouldn't be surprised at San Antonio seeing fit to trade De'Aaron Fox's massive contract before the deadline. The Spurs look ready to rally around Wembanyama for a deep playoff push, and while it may be a little reactionary to say so, I don't know how many teams outside of the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder can counter them when they and he are playing like this.
Only time will tell if Wemby's health can stand up to the rigors of the NBA season (he somehow looks like he packed some muscle on too, by the way). But barring predicting the unthinkable tragedy, he's already blown well past what most experts have safely predicted a night for him could look like. Wemby's rare combination usage rate and robotic efficiency, stacked on top of the growth around him, foreshadow a reign of dominance that points to a new dynasty in San Antonio.
And it's coming way faster than anyone could have thought possible.