How New York Knicks Have Made Victor Wembanyama Look Human In 2026 NBA Finals

The New York Knicks are up 2-0 as the NBA Finals shift to Madison Square Garden for Game 3.

They're just the third team in NBA history to open a Finals by winning two games on the road, and the list of reasons for their success in San Antonio is long.

At the top: the play of Victor Wembanyama. Or, more specifically, how the Knicks have affected the play of the San Antonio Spurs star and possible future face of the league.

Over the first three rounds of this postseason, Wemby looked and played like a titan among men on both ends of the floor.

Beyond literally towering over everyone around him, he was scoring efficiently, seemingly everywhere on defense (a product of his instincts as much as his size) and limiting his turnovers (a common problem for young stars in their first playoff run).

Against the Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves and reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder—and when you remove the two games he left early (one for a concussion and another for an ejection)—Wemby averaged 25.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.8 turnovers.

In those 15 contests, he shot 51.4 percent from the field, 38.0 percent from three and 87.4 percent from the line.

But after three rounds of Wemby more than living up to his "Alien" nickname, the Knicks have returned him to Earth, put him through a few tests and perhaps exposed him for what he really is (or, at least, what he is for now).

A human.

We're only two games into the Finals. And Wembanyama's raw per-game averages of 27.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks look good.

But those numbers are largely driven by one good half (the third and fourth quarters in Game 2, when he had 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting). His series-long shooting and turnover marks tell a different story.

Against New York, Wemby is shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from deep. He has 10 turnovers in two games, including the backbreaker that erased what might've been a game-winning fast break in Game 2.

Perhaps most surprising, in spite of the block numbers, he's looked gettable on the defensive end. Karl-Anthony Towns has routinely blown by him from the perimeter. OG Anunoby hit a pull-up three in his face and dunked on him after a drive.

In a word, again, human.

So how has New York done it?

On one end, the one-on-one defense of KAT has been stellar. Instead of getting gimmicky (plenty expected Anunoby to spend a lot of the series on him), New York has mostly trusted Towns to just stay in front of him, keep his hands up and make his jumpers difficult. In Game 1, Wemby was 2-of-12 when KAT was his nearest defender.

Of course, he's not the only big body who's been able to deter Wemby from getting to the paint. When the Spurs were down one with the ball and one possession to win Game 2, coach Mike Brown showed the same level of trust in Mitchell Robinson. Wemby didn't try to touch the paint, pulled up for a contested two instead and watched it hit the back of the rim as he hit the deck looking for a phantom foul.

New York hasn't even had to show a ton of help or send double-teams. It's just trusting two burlier centers to wall off the paint and get their hands up.

In Game 1 against the Thunder, OKC tried to get creative with matchups and sent a lot of smalls at Wemby. He lived around the rim and scored 41 in that win. The Knicks haven't given him anything resembling that game plan, and the physical, one-on-one defense is winning them games.

On the other end, a couple of things are happening.

First and foremost, Towns (and to a lesser extent, Anunoby and Jalen Brunson) hasn't been afraid to attack Wembanyama.

KAT is forcing Wembanyama to defend in space, and he's been able to get around him. When the Spurs have tried to put smaller players on him so Wemby can roam a bit defensively, he's going inside and punishing them like an old-school big or bullying them for offensive rebounds.

Anunoby, meanwhile, looks like he's been practicing warding off bigger defenders with his body for years in anticipation of this moment. On the big dunk, he beat Wemby off the dribble but was wary of the chase-down, hit the brakes, waited for some contact to ground the shot blocker, and then he exploded for the jam.

Otherwise, the Knicks aren't forcing bad shots on the possessions when Wemby is in good position.

On the play that went viral, they had four drivers get to the paint and kick out to potential shooters. It had San Antonio's defense, including Wemby, scrambling. Even one of the best rim protectors and defensive shells we've ever seen couldn't stick together in this blender.

As reductive as it sounds, New York has neutralized the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year by attacking him with an All-NBA-caliber center and moving the ball like the Golden State Warriors at their peak (remember, Brown was an assistant there).

Of course, not every team has those ingredients. There's only a handful of the former every year. And finding enough unselfish players to do the latter is tough. Few teams can use the "three of our best players were college teammates" cheat code.

Wembanyama is already a superstar. He may well be the best player in the world and the face of the league very soon.

But the Knicks are showing chemistry and determination that rarely emerge on non-championship teams.

And they're the first this postseason to make Wemby look terrestrial.