How New York Knicks Must Defend Victor Wembanyama In 2026 NBA Finals vs. San Antonio Spurs

With the San Antonio Spurs eliminating the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games, the New York Knicks finally know their opponent for the NBA Finals.

With that knowledge, now the Knicks have to prepare to defend the Alien.

Victor Wembanyama has been an unsolvable riddle in the NBA so far. How good has he been in the playoffs? Wemby is averaging 23.2 points on 51 percent shooting (including 37 percent from three), and he's knocking down 87 percent from the free-throw line on 6.8 attempts a game.

All of that goes with his 10.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks a night.

That is what the Knicks have to contend with during the Finals.

If the Knicks are going to win the championship, they have to find the answer no one has found yet. How the Knicks defend Wembanyama may be the deciding factor in this series.

Of course, New York has found success this season against the Spurs based more on matchups than on schemes.  

In the two regular-season contests, Wemby has averaged 28 points against the Knicks, shooting 62.1 percent from the field, 33.33 percent from three, plus 13 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. But the key stat is the five turnovers New York has forced him into over those two games.

In the third meeting, when the Knicks won the NBA Cup, New York defended him much better. He scored just 18 points on 41.2 percent shooting, while New York kept him off the glass and off the free-throw line—the important caveat being that Wemby was on a minutes restriction.

Over the three games, the Knicks learned a few things defensively that can play into this series, starting with their matchup.

The Knicks have plenty of possibilities against Wemby. In their decisive March 1st victory, Karl-Anthony Towns started on him and defended him the most, according to the NBA's matchup data. Towns defended him for 5:20, which led to Wemby scoring 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting, 0-of-3 from three and forcing two turnovers while putting him on the line for four free throws.

That is a favorable matchup for the Knicks, as long as Towns can stay out of foul trouble. He's been fairly good with that during this playoff run, but Wemby presents a different set of challenges.

Next up on the list is Mitchell Robinson, who in the most recent game defended Wemby for the second-most time at 3:12. During that stretch, Wemby scored seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 1-of-2 from three. Robinson is dealing with a broken pinky that required surgery, but the team is hopeful he will be ready by Game 1. Who really needs a pinky anyway?

Robinson's length and size can make it difficult for Wemby in the paint, but it also opens up looks from three, as Robinson will not want to venture out there too much.

The last true matchup for the Knicks, and it might be their ace in the hole, is OG Anunoby. In their previous game, he defended Wemby for 1:51 and held him to 2-of-5 shooting for four points. Anunoby is listed at 6'7", 240 pounds with a 7' 2" wingspan. He is fully capable of banging with Wemby in the paint and defending him on the perimeter.

The video above is from the NBA cup championship. Anunoby does a great job fighting over the top of the screen with a little help from Josh Hart with a bump. Then, he holds his position as Wemby gets a post-up and misses a contested fadeaway.

That will be the challenge for Anunoby in defending Wemby: remaining physical and using his strength to keep from gaining deep post position.

Listed above is a great stat from Caitlin Cooper, author of the "Basketball, She Wrote" newsletter. Since Wemby entered the league, Anunoby has held him to the fewest points per possession of any opponent, with a minimum of 100 matchups.

So, the Knicks have three great options to guard Wembanyama straight up (assuming Robinson is healthy). And Hart and Mikal Bridges will be able to help with digs and stunts at him.

The question, of course, is: Will that solve the Wemby riddle? Or will Wemby figure out how to attack them over the course of a series?

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*Mo Dakhil spent six years with the Los Angeles Clippers and two years with the San Antonio Spurs as a video coordinator, as well as three years with the Australian men's national team. Follow him on X, @MoDakhil_NBA.