How should Knicks guard Victor Wembanyama? There is 1 obvious solution.
How should Knicks guard Victor Wembanyama? There is 1 obvious solution.
Bryan Kalbrosky, For The Win Wed, June 3, 2026 at 5:15 PM UTC
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How should Knicks guard Victor Wembanyama? There is 1 obvious solution.
When the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs tip-off for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, there is one player every fan is watching: Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama has dominated the postseason thus far, leading San Antonio to win the Western Conference Finals over back-to-back MVP winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
There is little that anyone in the world can do to slow someone like Wembanyama, of course. Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns called him a "special talent" while Brunson called him "unbelievable" when discussing the former No. 1 pick, per SNY.
“You just hope a guy like that, you can find ways to make him work,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said. “You pray.”
Maybe the power of prayer can help a little bit, but New York’s defense will need a bit more than that, too.
So how does one actually guard someone as dominant as Wembanyama? (via The Athletic):
“The trendy answer to that question has come on the perimeter. The Knicks could place their all-defensive wing, OG Anunoby, on Wembanyama, which would represent a noticeable size difference but also present issues for the Spurs. Wembanyama isn’t always so hot against shorter but still stout, physical wings.”
As noted by Katz, if he were healthy, Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams would have likely defended Wembanyama. Williams is a similar physical archetype as Anunoby and his presence was missed on both ends of the floor.
Who has the most success guarding Wemby?
Per our research, using matchup data via NBA.com, we examined which defenders have been associated with the lowest scoring rates from Wembanyama in direct matchups since he entered the league. Our methodology was to find total points allowed and total possessions defended to find points per 100 possessions.
We then applied a regression formula to stabilize based on Wembanyama’s career averages, reward high sample sizes, and ding small sample sizes.
Based on these results, among the 50 players with the most possessions against the French star, here were some of the names at the top of the list: Dillon Brooks, P.J. Washington, Aaron Gordon, Toumani Camara, Jalen Williams, Rui Hachimura, Julius Randle and Anunoby. The top of the list was overwhelmingly populated by strong, physical wings and forwards rather than traditional centers.
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Many of the league's premier rim protectors ranked significantly lower. Players such as Walker Kessler, Dereck Lively II, Ivica Zubac and Chet Holmgren allowed much higher scoring rates. That suggests defending Wembanyama is often less about contesting his shots at the rim and more about preventing him from catching the ball in advantageous positions in the first place.
Other research suggests similar findings. As noted by basketball expert Caitlin Cooper, meanwhile, Anunoby is statistically the best defender that has guarded Wembanyama as his primary assignment in a set offense.
The goal for defenders like Anunoby and Williams is to keep Wembanyama as far away from the basket as possible, forcing him to shoot more jumpers rather than dominate as a giant close to the rim. The more often he gets inside, the better the Spurs perform.
Anunoby is strong enough to move Wembanyama around and prevent him from attacking near the hoop. Additionally, with a wingspan above 7’2’” he is also capable of not getting absolutely embarrassed by the big man’s length.
Who has defended Wemby on the Knicks before?
Looking back, Anunoby actually was the primary defender when New York faced San Antonio during the beginning of the regular season and NBA Cup. But down the stretch, the Knicks had Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson primarily guarding Wembanyama instead.
Robinson, however, is expecting to play through a broken pinky finger and could have limitations on the court. If the Knicks put Anunoby on Wembanyama, there is no clear answer for who Towns should guard instead.
That’s why some, like Michael Pina, may argue that New York should just guard San Antonio with traditional positional matchups (via The Ringer):
“Anunoby has built-in-a-lab qualities to defend Wemby. He can deny the ball, push him off his spots, and switch on to any other Spur in a pinch. But the Knicks’ best bet may still be in hoping Towns can hold up on his own. Don’t foul, keep San Antonio off the offensive glass, and limit any need for a costly double-team.”
During his possessions defending Wembanyama in the past, per our matchup data, Anunoby has committed just 1.0 foul per 100 possessions. Towns, meanwhile, has averaged 4.2 fouls per 100. Robinson has averaged 3.4 per 100. Anunoby is able to contain Wembanyama without making excessive contact.
The risk of Towns potentially getting in foul trouble against Wembanyama is too massive, especially if it means losing his availability on the other end of the court. He is too valuable to New York’s offensive identity as a floor spacer and hub.
While it creates a potentially difficult mismatch for Towns to guard a perimeter shooter like Julian Champagnie or Devin Vassell instead, it’s clear that Anunoby should get the primary assignment, especially with Robinson hurt.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: How should Knicks guard Victor Wembanyama? There is 1 obvious solution.
Source: “AOL Sports”
