It is easy to understand why a lot of Grizzlies fans are already skeptical about how successful this next rebuild will be. As if the rebuild wasn't challenging enough, the Grizzlies now have a massive Victor Wembanyama problem on their hands. If the Grizzlies ever want to win the Western Conference one day, they will have to get through Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Selected #1 in the 2023 NBA Draft, Victor Wembanyama has had an extremely high-impact third season as a Spur, winning the first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year award and finishing in the top 3 of the MVP race. However, those accolades still sell him short, and he is already evolving into arguably the best player in the world.
Last night in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Wembanyama had 41 points, 24 rebounds, and 4 stocks (steals and blocks) to help defeat the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in 2OT. The box score still doesn't do Wembanyama justice with how impactful he was defensively and the outrageous game-tying three he hit in the first overtime.
Regardless of the end result in the Western Conference Finals, the Grizzlies' aspirations of ever winning the Western Conference became more challenging with Wembanyama's rise.
Wemby has led an impressive and rapid Spurs rise
The Spurs have plenty of great young pieces such as Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Carter Bryant. However, as promising as they all are, Wembanyama is the reason why the Spurs are evolving into such a dangerous team. We've often seen championship windows close faster than many expect, but it looks like the Spurs and Wembanyama will not go away for a long time.
It was quite evident at the end of the 2024/25 season that the Grizzlies roster, even with a core of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr., was far off from being able to win the Western Conference. The Thunder have continued to be great, but the Spurs' fast rise has given the Grizzlies another thing to think about. San Antonio went 34-48 last year, but that was largely influenced by Victor Wembanyama having his second season end due to a blood clot.
Still, it remains impressive to see a promising young team look this prepared to win big games. The Spurs have done an incredible job surrounding Wembanyama with a good blend of veterans and young talent. But one thing is clear: Wembanyama, despite showing flashes of potential in his first two seasons, is a way more dominant force on both ends of the court now.
The Grizzlies have to change their approach because of Wemby
Listing out an exact blueprint to counter Wembanyama is challenging, but there are some immediate things for the Grizzlies to focus on. The Grizzlies already have a strong interior presence in Zach Edey, but the depth behind him must improve, and he has to stay healthy. Even beyond the frontcourt, the Grizzlies have to boost the size and physicality of the roster as they rebuild.
However, the most difficult part will be finding the #1 option that can crack MVP talks and be a consistent All-NBA-level presence. The hope was for Ja Morant to evolve into that caliber of player after an incredible 2021-22 season, but that hasn't materialized. Even if the Grizzlies build a strong roster, they need a proven #1 option if they ever want to counter the rise of Victor Wembanyama.
The Grizzlies have a stacked 2026 NBA Draft to work with and plenty of future draft capital in the next seven seasons. The hope will be for the Grizzlies to get back into playoff contention very soon. But looking ahead, the challenge of being a Western Conference winner got infinitely harder thanks to Victor Wembanyama.
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