Why Spurs' Victor Wembanyama Wants More Than Being the World's Best Defender

SAN ANTONIO — If Victor Wembanyama's goals aren't pushing his potential to an otherworldly level, he's not thinking big enough. Luckily, that's hard to accomplish at 7-foot-4.

During the final week of his fourth preseason, the NBA's annual general manager survey went live. In it were more votes of confidence from the people responsible for building teams to combat the league's newest superstar. But that individual doesn't prefer outside noise.

Most people consider Wembanyama the best defender on Earth. He wants more than that.

"I've got a lot of growth to do in that aspect," the San Antonio Spurs admitted on Wednesday. "And I'm saying this because I have coaches that hold me to a very high standard."

Oct 14, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks in front of Phoenix Suns guard Jordan Goodwin (23) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The path for the Frenchman to improve upon his third season is clear-cut on paper: the Spurs need to win the NBA Final and he needs to earn the league's Most Valuable Player Award — two feats he fell short of in an otherwise extraordinary third season.

Growth, and improvement, aren't linear measures, however. Wembanyama can finish second in MVP voting and still feel like a more complete player. The Spurs can drop a Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals and still head to the offseason more mature.

Luke Kornet can name one way his teammate can take another step forward. He didn't mean it to be critical, either. If Wembanyama has a vision of improvement, he can see it through.

"There's a big responsibility of communication," Kornet explained. "It's one thing to know something's happening and (another) to be able to vocalize it ... there's just more ways to grow ... the better you can communicate, you can get your whole team on the same page."

In his first postseason, Wembanyama experienced a level of physicality he hadn't seen before. By the end of his season, two months worth of scars covered both of his arms. Year 4 won't alleviate those wounds, but it will better prepare him for them.

In the same vein, the postseason forced Wembanyama to recognize how much attention opposing teams devoted to neutralizing him. His presence alone could disrupt an offense, but anticipating how teams would counter his impact presented another challenge.

That's where Kornet believes experience will make a difference.

"A good thing is that he's very perceptive and very creative in terms of the stuff he does," Kornet said. "The game's always changing, but you definitely grow in terms of awareness."

Dec 25, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) and center Luke Kornet (7) celebrate at the end of the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The numbers suggest Wembanyama has already established himself as one of the league's most imposing defensive players. He averaged 3.1 blocks and 1.0 steals across 64 regular-season appearances last season, adding 11.5 rebounds per game.

Still, there's a difference between recognizing a play and preventing it from developing. For Wembanyama, that distinction increasingly comes down to how effectively he can communicate with the four teammates sharing the floor, which, this year, will most often be Devin Vassell, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle as the Spurs' new starting unit.

"I mean, this relates a lot to communication, my ability to communicate," Wembanyama said. "And that takes practice and effort, but it's easy, you know. But doing it repeatedly and precisely and in the right moment and saying the right words, this is what's hard."

The Spurs have already seen what happens when Wembanyama gets those details right. His combination of length, mobility and instincts allows San Antonio to experiment defensively in ways most teams can't. Johnson doesn't intend to waste that luxury.

"Victor allows you to think outside the box in almost any way you want to," the coach said.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) listens to head coach Mitch Johnson in the fourth quarter against the Denver — Apr 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) listens to coach Mitch Johnson in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Experimentation comes with its own risks. Johnson doesn't want his team sacrificing the principles that carried it through the Western Conference simply to find new ways to deploy its superstar. Like everything else that comes with contention, balance will be required.

"I think we want to grow as many ways to win as we can without losing our identity and our base," Johnson said, "and that's going to be a challenge, but I think that's part of pushing this thing forward of not forgetting our base and our identity and our style of play."

For Wembanyama, that process will require more than another summer of physical development. Opposing teams have spent three seasons studying his tendencies, and they'll continue searching for ways to exploit the rare opportunities he gives them.

Kornet believes those challenges will ultimately work in Wembanyama's favor.

"Obviously, no matter how talented you are when you're young, think about how much better you're going to be with five more years of experience and understanding," he said.

Wembanyama doesn't have five years to prepare for his next opportunity at a championship. The Spurs expect to contend for one now, and their centerpiece has made it clear he intends to lead them there. As far as he's concerned, expectations have already changed.

"Now, the standard isn't being the best on the planet anymore," Wembanyama said, asked about his early-career success and ceiling. "It's being better than last year."

Add us as a preferred source on Google