How Wemby and Friends Took Down the NBA’s Death Star

Daniel Waddleton

Dec 15, 2025

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IF YOU’RE a reader of this page, you know I was lower on the 2025-26 San Antonio Spurs than the consensus in the preseason. I even took a friendly jab at the group, referring to them as “Wemby and Friends.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t think the roster was talented. I just thought the fit might be clunky at times, and with so much youth up and down the roster, I figured they were a year away from truly being in the mix in this daunting Western Conference.

I realized I was going to be wrong within five minutes of their first game. However, Saturday night reframed the conversation in my head entirely. It forced me to think about San Antonio in a completely different tier. Not a “fun future” tier like in the preseason, not a “dark horse” tier like during the first two months, but a win-the-whole-thing tier.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder entered Saturday night 24-1, on pace for the best record in NBA history. They carried a +17.2 net rating, a number that, if sustained, would be the greatest ever recorded in a regular season. Their defense sat 11.8 points per 100 possessions better than league average, another mark that would shatter historical precedent. Their offense is no slouch either, posting a 120.5 offensive rating up to this point, which ranks fifth league-wide.

They’re led by MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the midst of one of the most incredible individual scoring seasons we’ve ever seen. 34.7 points per 75 possessions on +10.8% relative true shooting percentage is production that lives in the same statistical neighborhood as 2016 Stephen Curry. Surrounding him is a roster loaded with high-level, two-way players who give Oklahoma City answers at every position and in every lineup configuration.

The Thunder were 10.5-point favorites heading into this neutral-site matchup, and everything about this team screams urgency. They’ve been loud about what they’re chasing: the NBA Cup, the wins record, the West, the Finals. This isn’t a group due for some letdown game in December.

Which is exactly why what the Spurs did Saturday night in Vegas -- on this stage, against this opponent -- should be taken very seriously.

San Antonio defeated Oklahoma City 111-109 to advance to the NBA Cup Finals, earning a date with the New York Knicks tomorrow night. Victor Wembanyama’s first game back from a calf strain was the headline: 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists in just 22 minutes off the bench, with the Spurs a +21 during his time on the floor in a two-point win. Raw plus-minus can be noisy, but this time passed the eye test.

After it was announced pregame that Wemby would be available for the semifinals, many were surprised when he didn’t appear in the first quarter. Oklahoma City took advantage, jumping out to a 31-20 lead. Then Wemby checked in to start the second quarter and the game changed -- not gradually, but immediately.

In the 22 minutes Wemby was on the floor, the Thunder posted an 87 offensive rating. In the 26 minutes he sat, that number jumped to 116.5. You can see exactly why from even just the very first few possessions.

The Spurs make a conscious effort to keep Wemby positioned as the low man on defense. You see it early, with him constantly switching off the ball to stay as the weak-side helper on drives. On this Jalen Williams drive, that positioning pays off in real time. Wemby doesn’t block the shot or even get a true contest, but his presence alone forces Williams to rush the attempt and leave the layup short.

The Spurs are over 15 points better defensively this season with Wemby on the floor, and the reasons show up clearly in this game. According to Cleaning the Glass, San Antonio ranks in the 97th percentile in defensive eFG% allowed when he plays. A massive driver of that dominance is how completely he controls the rim.

Opponents take just 26.8% of their shots at the basket, the most valuable area on the court. And even when teams do get there, Wemby lineups rank in the 98th percentile in rim field-goal percentage allowed, holding opponents to just 56.2% finishing. You see it on film, when guys get near the rim, they often don’t even give it a shot.

That inability to consistently get to or through the rim has a cascading effect. With Wemby anchoring the back line, the midrange dries up as well. Opponents attempt those shots less frequently and convert them at near-league-worst efficiency during his minutes. San Antonio is comfortable allowing perimeter defenders to play aggressively on the ball because Wemby’s help is always waiting behind them. And when the Spurs go to drop coverage against middle pick-and-roll, his length allows him to deter or contest pull-ups that would normally be clean looks against almost any other team.

Oklahoma City’s best half court offensive weapon is that they’re the best pull-up shooting team in the NBA, knocking down 45.9% of those attempts. In this game, they didn't come easy.

On this possession, Oklahoma City runs one of its pet actions: a Chet Holmgren flat ball screen for Gilgeous-Alexander at the top of the key. Normally the slithery guard is able to routinely get to his spots and rise over the top. Instead, Wemby switches out, and the shot trajectory is altered trying to get it over those outstretched arms.

In the next clip, you see everything Wemby can do for this defense in a single possession. Williams comes off a screen, sees the eight-foot wingspan in a deep drop, and doesn’t even want to try the pull-up shot he's made hundreds of times. Later in the possession he's forced into a tougher look (or maybe a pass) which Wemby is able to alter, and when Isaiah Hartenstein tries to clean it up, Wemby’s second jump and length allow him to recover and block the putback.

You’ll notice how far into Williams’ body Dylan Harper is on that play, and it connects back to something I mentioned briefly that’s harder to quantify but obvious on film. The Spurs’ defense plays harder and more aggressively with Wemby on the floor.

Perimeter defenders can pick-up higher, gamble for steals more often, and apply chest-to-chest ball pressure without worrying that a blow-by turns into a easy layup. String a few stops together -- which tends to happen when Wemby is on the court -- and the energy compounds.

Tell me you don’t see the difference. In one clip, Devin Vassell is on his heels. In the next, he’s on his toes. Same player, same matchup. What’s the one variable that changed?

It’s also important to note these aren’t weak defenders being propped up by Wemby, which is what makes this added confidence scary. Stephon Castle already looks like an All-Defensive Team level on-ball defender. Devin Vassell has great real length and a genuine commitment to guarding. D’Aaron Fox has quick hands and sharp instincts. Dylan Harper offers excellent positional size and physicality. Harrison Barnes has been a reliable, solid defender in this league for over a decade.

This is already a strong defensive group, now playing with the insurance of a guy behind them that opponents finish 12.3% worse than expected at the rim against when he's the closest defender. Yeah... that trust is earned.

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It wasn’t just defensively that Wemby and the Spurs gave Oklahoma City fits. They also were able to create just enough cracks in this all-time elite Thunder defense to come away with the win.

One thing you felt both early and late was offensive rebounding. Oklahoma City ranks fourth in the league at keeping opponents off the offensive glass, but against Wemby it isn’t a schematic or physical failure, it’s a genetic one. Every moment it felt like San Antonio could really use an extra shot Wemby's long arms found one, including one of the defining plays late in the game.

On the flip side, San Antonio also found off-ball advantages by pulling Wemby away from the rim. The Spurs are a solid but not overwhelming shooting team -- 36.6% from three, 11th in the league --- but Wemby functioning as a stretch five creates inverted spacing for downhill drivers. His screening gravity shows up in this clip when Hartenstein stays attached with no help on the off-ball action, knowing that any sort of show either concedes an three or forces him into a closeout situation where Wemby routinely beats slower-footed centers off the bounce.

Of course one of the strengths of Oklahoma City’s defense is how well everyone can provide rim protection, but dragging Hartenstein out of the paint certainly doesn’t hurt. Another subtle thing this court mapping does is raise San Antonio's defensive floor. On misses or turnovers, Wemby is already above the break and better positioned to get back in transition.

That matters because it’s one of the few ways Oklahoma City generated easier offense in this game. Their defensive superpower is their hands and activity. They swarm the ball, dig aggressively, and jump passing lanes, leading the NBA with 23.3 deflections per game. That pressure showed up when Wemby put the ball on the floor near the hoop. Oklahoma City sent pack-of-wolves help, knocked it loose, and finally generated a few transition chances with the rim unprotected.

When Wemby was more decisive with his dribbles though, he was devastating. Against elite bigs, we have seen Oklahoma City pull one of their favorite levers, moving away from theri traditional center Hartenstein, cross-matches a wing like Williams or Alex Caruso onto the post, and parks Chet Holmgren on the weakest shooter as a roaming helper.

It’s a scheme built on activity and trust. No defense in the league plays more on a string. Even basic entry passes can feel impossible, just ask Denver in Game 7 of last year’s second round.

However Wemby is unique, and in a way that plays against OKC's scheme. He isn’t a Jokic-level offensive hub, but his dimensions and skill set break different rules. At 7-foot-5 with an eight-foot wingspan, paired with rare fluidity, Oklahoma City’s disruption tactics don’t land the same way. If the Spurs simply deliver the entry pass high enough and in his vicinity, the Thunder can’t deflect it. From there, Wemby’s ability to score over the top allows him to avoid putting the ball on the floor too much, neutralizing the pressure Oklahoma City relies on to create turnovers.

The Spurs rode that over-the-top shot-making to the finish line, with Wemby scoring 15 in the fourth quarter to seal the two-point victory.

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The final point I want to make here is simple: the “Wemby and Friends” joke is over. As much as this turned into a Wemby propaganda piece, this isn’t just one guy carrying a roster. This is a team that can really play.

Anytime you build a foundation around two 21-year-olds like Wemby and Stephon Castle, you’re already in a great place. Then you layer in the rest of the top talent -- Dylan Harper (19), the 2025 second overall pick; Devin Vassell (25), having an excellent first half of the season; and of course D’Aaron Fox (27), the former All-NBA guard averaging 23.9 points and 6.2 assists on 61.1% true shooting -- and this roster starts to look legitimately dangerous. Add in Julian Champagnie (24), Keldon Johnson (26), Luke Kornet (30), and Jeremy Sochan (24), this group has real depth.

When you watch them, you can convincingly say they can beat anybody in the West. Would I pick them to win the Finals right now? No necessarily. But Denver or Houston wouldn’t be thrilled about seeing this team in the second round.

And honestly, it’s gotten to the point where I wouldn’t be floored if the Spurs ended up representing the Western Conference this season.