The World is Watching the Spurs. Wemby Welcomes It

Victor Wembanyama received guidance from De'Aaron Fox prior to the inbound. His lightning-fast teammate had already read the Phoenix Suns' defense.

An open shot wasn't going to exist. Not with only 10.2 seconds to play, not down by one point. But Wembanyama didn't need it to be open. He just needed it to exist.

"The key is to not overcomplicate it," Wembanyama said.

After the Frenchman fielded the ball, Fox sprinted past him to the opposite wing, joining Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper around the 3-point line. Devin Vassell waited in the corner closest to Wembanyama — like the rest, he wasn't expecting a pass.

"In (that) situation, you want to wait," Wembanyama explained. "If you take the shot too early, you're shooting yourself in the foot. The defense will probably get the rebound or inbound and have some time. You want to shoot it as close to one or two seconds."

Mar 19, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots the game-winning shot over Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) in the second half at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Oso Ighodaro, tasked with stopping the San Antonio Spurs from clinching a playoff spot, had his work cut out for him. His assignment had already made up his mind. With Wembanyama waiting patiently for the clock to tick down, Ighodaro didn't know when to jump.

"He held it," Suns coach Jordan Ott said. "You don't know exactly when he's going to go."

Timing didn't matter. Wembanyama got his midrange shot off over the forward's outstretched arms and kicked off the new era San Antonio had been waiting for.

Six years without the playoffs made their arrival that much louder. Wembanyama's shot ended the Spurs' postseason drought and secured a top-six seed.

"It was hard to take in all the stimulus around me," Wembanyama smiled, motioning to a red wine stain on his shorts — the result of bumping into a courtside fan while getting back on defense. "There was a lot going on. It felt like I was getting mobbed."

In a vacuum, the Spurs have already far outperformed initial expectations. After Wembanyama sat out for the second half of his second season with deep vein thrombosis, he shifted his focus to being healthy enough to lead his squad in the years that followed.

Missing a dozen games in late November with a calf strain didn't help his case. But by that point, San Antonio was already enjoying the fruits of its labor.

It took some Spurs longer than others to understand their situation. Some felt they were right on schedule; others were more candid, De'Aaron Fox included.

"We think we're ahead of schedule," Fox prefaced, "(but) we feel with the guys we have in the locker room and the coaching staff ... we can compete for a championship."

Mar 14, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) and guard De'Aaron Fox (4) look back up the court in the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Adding additional expectations to a team that, for a month-long stretch post-All-Star Break, held the title of the NBA's hottest team seemed like an appropriate step. As San Antonio kept winning, its narrative kept spinning. And its trajectory kept rising.

Still, no amount of preparation could have simulated the payoff of its efforts.

Keldon Johnson couldn't keep his feelings from showing the night the Spurs clinched the playoffs in front of their home crowd. Frankly, he didn't want to.

"It feels like a long time coming," Johnson said in a 12-minute postgame interview. "It feels surreal because I've been through every step ... we couldn't skip steps."

Johnson and Wembanyama had a heart-to-heart at the beginning of their season.

After years of being the front man, the hype man and — as Popovich coined him — the Mustang, Johnson felt different about the squad being put together.

He'd seen days starting next to Jakob Poeltl, Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker Jr. He'd witnessed Zach Collins' return from injury, ascent and eventual departure. He also watched Victor Wembanyama get drafted. And Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper after him.

"Damn," Johnson told Wembanyama. "We were stuck at one point."

As the longest-tenured Spur, Johnson had whatever seniority he wanted. It made him an easy leader, yet part of his role came with setting aside his ego. Building on the impact he made a season prior, it became clear he was no longer a necessary starter.

Now a leading candidate for the league's Sixth Man of the Year Award, he's seen his personal sacrifice become collective opportunity. It's been nothing short of beautiful.

"This is almost like a dream come true," Johnson said, "to be able to work through all the mishaps and work through the process and see the outcome of it ... I feel like this is a special group that we have, and I'm blessed to be a part of it."

Mar 19, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) addresses the crowd in front of forwards Carter Bryant (11), Victor Wembanyama (1), and guard Devin Vassell (24) after the game against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Part of Johnson's journey has been learning the kind of talent Wembanyama is. Similar to the rest of his teammates, he had to learn to play alongside him.

He also found a few things to pick from his stoic personality.

"We can't skip steps," Wembanyama said of making the playoffs, echoing Johnson, "but it's definitely super exciting ... as a kid, this is also something I dreamed of."

Wembanyama continued: "Of course, (your) first instinct is to be proud of it and love it because you're part of it. But the key, for me, is to try to not care. We want to attack 82 games ... I'm scared to become complacent. I'll be on the other end of the spectrum."

Of course, the Spurs know what lies ahead of them. Without playoff experience, the odds are stacked against them when it comes to the added physicality of the postseason.

Teams have often needed to be kicked to the ground before prevailing. That idea hasn't been lost on the Spurs, whose coach has the same limitation as his players. When it comes to choosing between avoiding it or acknowledging it, they pick the latter.

"It's real," Mitch Johnson said, "and, so, people can take that and make whatever opinion or logical reasoning or projection out of that. We won't do that."

Instead, the Spurs — and specifically, Wembanyama — plan to use it to their advantage.

"We can put five offensively talented guys on the court at any point of the game," Wembanyama said. "It matters. The fact that we don't have experience can be on our side."

Mar 19, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates with guard Devin Vassell (24) after the game against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Before the night was over, Keldon Johnson grabbed the microphone at center court. Typical was the decision. Atypical was his freestyle. The forward hadn't planned out his speech; instead, he called for Frost Bank Center to join him in an "MVP" chant for Wembanyama.

The Frenchman doesn't mind the sentiment. He's already owned his desire for the award, and enjoys when he's showered with the same chants at the free throw line. In those moments, Wembanyama sits with his thoughts for a brief moment, his eyes closed.

Thursday night, a more rollicking scene accompanied the chants.

"It's a special group," Mitch Johnson said in the aftermath. "Everybody's embracing each other, supporting each other and trying to push in the right direction. That's powerful."

Indeed, it has been. With one final stretch of games left in their season and home court advantage through the conference finals to defend, the Spurs will continue to lean on the habits they've formed to this point. They'll continue to turn to their captain.

Wembanyama is used to having all eyes on him. But now, with his team near-impossible to ignore, he's welcoming the change. His teammates are right behind him.

"People will talk about whatever experience we may or may not have," Fox said, "but end of the day, you've got to lace 'em up and you've got to go out there and beat us. That's how we feel. We feel confident against any team we play against."