When Wembanyama is on the court, the Spurs have a top-six defense in the league, despite having some players opponents clearly target. When he is off the court, that rapidly falls to the 24th-ranked defense (overall that leaves the Spurs 12th in the league defensively, in the middle of the pack).

The 7-foot-4 phenom faces criticism for spending too much time on the perimeter, but San Antonio is letting him do it all to maximize his potential as the NBA’s next great big man.

The NBA is an ever-evolving league, and Victor Wembanyama is dragging it kicking and screaming into the next era.