Pacers’ Rick Carlisle drops Victor Wembanyama truth bomb

Following a 134-119 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Rick Carlisle didn’t hold back when ClutchPoints asked the Indiana Pacers coach about Victor Wembanayama.

“There’s never been a player like him in the history of the game that has the kind of impact at both ends,” the 1986 and 2011 NBA champion declared.

“My feeling has been he’s been great the whole time, but he’s definitely getting better. It’s clear that he works hard on his game.”

Combine Wembanyama’s prowess on both sides of the court with the catapult of the Spurs into title contention and the 7-foot-5 phenom is very much in the NBA MVP conversation.

ClutchPoints asked the reigning Eastern Conference champion and former Dallas Mavericks coach to differentiate between Wemby’s first two seasons and this one.

“Last year, it was probably hard to evaluate because he missed the second half or whatever it was,” Carlisle responded.

The Spurs’ leading scorer did not play after making his first of now two NBA All-Star games last season because of blood clots in his right shoulder.

“He gives them a very special advantage, and I think that’s pretty obvious,” the veteran coach concluded in his response to ClutchPoints about the generational talent.

Carlisle’s assessment of Wembanyama comes with a good amount of context. He played with and has coached several of the game’s greats, including a consensus top-10 player of all time. A former Boston Celtic, Carlisle shared the court with Larry Bird for three seasons. As a head coach, he led Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd to their first NBA championship. In his first stint with the Pacers, he coached Reggie Miller. His playing days also teamed him with Kevin McHale, Bill Walton and Robert Parish.

Rick Carlisle says Spurs are ‘obvious championship contender’

ClutchPoints also asked the 2002 Coach of the Year for his thoughts on the 2025-2026 Spurs.

“I mean, they’re one of a small handful that’s a legit championship contender,” Carlisle responded before he took a long pause then continued.

“I think that’s obvious.”

A 22-win 2022-2023 season led to the Spurs drafting Wembanyama. Another 22-60 campaign followed in the 2024 Rookie of the Year’s first campaign. San Antonio went 34-48 last year. Following the recent victory against Indiana, the Silver and Black sport a 53-18 record that’s good for second in the West. They are much closer to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the standings than they are to the Los Angeles Lakers, who have surged to the third spot in the conference.

“I mean, what are they, 21 and two in their last 23 games?” Carlisle asked about the Spurs.

“They’ve beaten Oklahoma three times. They’re mowing people down, and I don’t think it’s a secret anymore.”

The Spurs have ridden those three victories vs. OKC, which came in the midst of an official nine-game winning streak, and an 11-0 February that’s turned into a two-loss March through the 22nd. And one of those losses came without Wemby to the Denver Nuggets.

San Antonio has already clinched its first playoff spot since 2019. The rest of the NBA awaits what they’ll do the postseason. Count Carlisle among those who’ll be watching, as he continues to witness the type of player he’s never seen before.