The Oklahoma City Thunder appear to be an indestructible unit. They are 24-1 as we get closer to their Christmas Day matchup with the 17-7 San Antonio Spurs and in hot pursuit of the all-time single-season wins record, set by the Warriors.
This could be the beginning of the OKC dynasty, or could the Spurs spoil those plans? Victor Wembanyama was playing unreal before his calf injury. The Spurs didn't fold when he went down, and that may indicate they'll be elite enough eventually to compete with the Thunder.
The Thunder and Spurs take the hardwood three times from now until Christmas Day. The young teams will square off in the NBA Cup semifinals Saturday night. More money, pride, and the outlook of the future are on the line in that matchup because Wemby should be back.
As all-time as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is, most expect Wemby to emerge as the best player in the world sooner or later. The best player's team has a puncher's chance in any series, but when you throw in the supporting cast around Wemby, you have something more than a puncher's chance.
The "others" held it down for San Antonio and are their future
In Wemby's absence, San Antonio went 9-3. De'Aaron Fox showed why he was a hot commodity last trade deadline over the stretch, averaging 25 points, seven assists, with a 61 true shooting percentage. He's been electric and is on the short list of All-Stars. Games played hold him back a bit.
Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle missed time, too, but those two are pace changers. Point of attack defenders have terrible teams staying in front of the blistering guards. If you blink, they're gone. Their development will determine if San Antonio can really compete with the Thunder.
If Castle and Harper are as good or better than Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, then we'll be cooking. Holmgren's shot-blocking stretch-the-floor archetype may be more valuable than Harper and Castle's guard playing styles, but if they reach their top-notch potential, then the Spurs would have three or four All-NBA level players in Wemby's prime.
OKC already has three All-NBA caliber players, but their depth is what really makes them go. Aaron Wiggins, Ajay Mitchell, Isaiah Joe, or whoever can always step in and drill momentum-shifting 3s. Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, and Lu Dort leave their imprint each time out with their defensive disruption. The names go on for the Thunder.
San Antonio doesn't have depth like OKC, but there's plenty of help around Wemby and his young co-stars. Luke Kornet was a massive add, Harrison Barnes is shooting 43 percent from 3 on volume, and Jeremy Sochan projects to be a glue-guy defender when the Spurs are primed to compete for the whole thing. He's a gritty defender, but San Antonio is still missing that go-to wing stopper, and that could hurt them in the NBA Cup matchup.
OKC and San Antonio play three times in December
Saying SGA is all-time isn't an exaggeration. He's on pace to average 30 points while shooting 50 percent from the field for the fourth straight season. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant have accomplished that twice combined.
If the Spurs want to compete with the Thunder, they'll need a legit stopper to make SGA work. You aren't going to stop him, but the Spurs don't have that 1-on-1 stopper to make SGA sweat currently. Team defense and Wemby's insane impact on the game could make up for the lack of strong perimeter defenders.
No one wants to take a shot at the rim with Wemby down there. How he controls the paint could be the determining factor against OKC Saturday night and moving forward overall. If he's dominant enough to stifle OKC's No. 1-ranked half-court offense, then hats off to him. Wemby was tagged arguably the best prospect ever, so setting that bar that high for him isn't unusual.
Another key element in the matchups today and moving forward is how OKC matches up with the speedy Spurs guards. Wallace has no problem taking quick smalls, but Dort is more equipped to contain wings and big body ball handlers. Alex Caruso is the do-it-all X-factor who can contain any ball handler and plenty of bigs. Will the Fox, Castle, and Harper trio be blurs, or will the Thunder's suffocating defense continue its terror?
The Thunder have the bigs to send one at Wemby. Holgrem is the DPOY leader, and Iasiah Harrenstein isn't a slouch either. How Wemby establishes himself in those matchups is key. He needs to walk those two and force OKC to send two so he can kick it out to his snipers (37.2 percent from 3; 10th overall).
This is the matchup for now and for the future. Many believe Wemby will take the crown one day, but SGA won't happily give it up. He's only 27 and adds a new wrinkle every season. We should be thankful we have this matchup to look forward to for hopefully a decade-plus.