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Victor Wembanyama receives bold Knicks reality check from this NBA legend and it’s interesting

Victor Wembanyama receives bold Knicks reality check from this NBA legend and it’s interesting originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Victor Wembanyama is set to make his NBA Finals debut just three seasons into his professional career. For comparison, legends like Kobe Bryant reached the Finals in their fourth season, as did LeBron James, while Michael Jordan did not arrive on the championship stage until his seventh season.

The basketball world is preparing for a 22-year-old Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs to face the New York Knicks in the Finals showdown. Meanwhile, Magic Johnson shared a fresh set of warnings to Wembanyama and the Spurs heading to the game.

“Victor Wembanyama dominated the paint on defense during the Series against OKC while playing in a zone, but that won’t work against the Knicks given the 3-point shooting ability of Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby,” Johnson tweeted.

Wembanyama has been producing at a historic level throughout the postseason, as he has accumulated 394 points, 183 rebounds, 60 blocks, 46 assists, and 16 steals, placing him in rare company. Only Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon have ever matched or surpassed all five of those categories in a single playoff run.

In NBA history, only once has a player recorded at least 150 points, 75 rebounds, 50 free throws made, 15 three-pointers, 15 blocks, and 10 steals over any seven-game span during the regular season or playoffs. That singular instance belongs to Wembanyama during the Western Conference Finals against the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

There is also context to Wembanyama'# postseason journey, as he missed portions of games and sat out one entirely earlier in the run. That has only added to the discussion surrounding how fully he will be able to perform on the biggest stage. That is why Johnson had a Wembanyama warning for the Knicks as well.

“I’m wondering who’s going to guard Victor Wembanyama. They won’t have as easy of a time on offense due to the much better defensive ability of the Spurs compared to their previous matchups against the Hawks, 76ers, and Cavaliers,” Johnson tweeted

Regardless of how the series ends up, Wembanyama’s rise and extraordinary production at such a young age have already placed him firmly in the center of the NBA spotlight.