Victor Wembanyama might not like to hear it, but he just got the best advice on how to reach his GOAT potential

Jeremy Beren

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Victor Wembanyama might not like to hear it, but he just got the best advice on how to reach his GOAT potential image

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

It may seem like Victor Wembanyama has all the answers.

The third-year big man, one of the most intriguing individual talents the NBA has ever seen, is averaging 24.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks for a San Antonio Spurs team that has taken the league by surprise.

But Wembanyama showed signs of being human after all in a 119-98 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday — after which, Thunder guard Alex Caruso delivered a stinging verdict on Wemby's offensive game.

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Caruso, long one of the NBA's toughest defenders, told reporters that Wembanyama is "still really raw" despite his career-best field goal and 3-point percentages this year. Caruso said that, for a defender, Wembanyama's length at 7-5 is an "issue," but he needs to gain strength.

"He’s not as strong as a Giannis, like a (Nikola) Jokic, (Alperen) Sengun, KD even," Caruso said. "He's influenceable with certain spots where he catches it and how he has his footwork."

For Caruso, a two-time All-Defense selection, "getting to your spot and holding strong" is the way to defend Wembanyama, who isn't fast enough to blow by the league's elite defenders.

"If he gets too close, he's going to score, because he's just taller and has more length," Caruso explained. "I don't ever worry about him blowing by me on a closeout."

That analysis is going to add even more fuel to the fire of this renewed rivalry between the Spurs and the Thunder, one that could come to define the next decade of NBA basketball.

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