The New York Knicks should want to face Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Maybe that’s a hot take at this point. Maybe it’s silly. But the threat that Victor Wembanyama poses on the defensive end simply looms that large. He and the San Antonio Spurs would be a worse matchup for the Knicks than the reigning champions.
Wembanyama’s mere presence on the court is enough to deter the Knicks from getting inside. And if the threes aren’t falling for them, that could create a mess they have yet to have to deal with throughout the postseason thus far. OKC had tough defenders, and it would be a grueling series, but they wouldn’t have to deal with Wembanyama.
And that’s a good thing.
Knicks should want to face the Thunder in the Finals - not Wembanyama
On paper, the Thunder are the better basketball team. They’ve been the better basketball team for the last two years. They’re one of the most dominant forces in recent NBA Playoff memory.
However, even they are struggling to score consistently against Wembanyama in the Spurs. Even in Game 3 – a game that the Thunder won – they had to rely on role players making a ton of shots.
Once those shots stopped falling in Game 4, the Thunder’s offense completely cratered. They couldn’t get anything going. They only put up 82 points, with Gilgeous-Alexander stuck at 19.
That’s the Wembanyama effect. He has great perimeter defenders around him. Stephon Castle is a menace. Devin Vassell is a pest. Even Carter Bryant can be a nuisance.
But it all revolves around Wembanyama. He’s a one-man defensive freak who is capable of throwing off an entire team’s offensive rhythm all by himself.
Against the Thunder – who have a ton of elite defenders themselves – the Knicks would have to deal with on-ball pressure. Cason Wallace. Lu Dort. Ajay Mitchell.
But they have been an elite shot-making team all postseason. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges have found a way to get their buckets. It would just be tougher against OKC.
Wembanyama is just a different animal. A wild card. One of the most competitive mentalities in the league and some of the most insane defensive capabilities in NBA history.
The Thunder are incredible. But they’re a known quantity. Wembanyama breaks that barrier. It’s unlike anything most teams have ever had to go up against, especially in the playoffs.
New York should not want to welcome Wembanyama to town.
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