Jan 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and center Luke Kornet (40) box out San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Victor Wembanyama's Honest Statement on Boston Celtics

Originally posted on San Antonio Spurs on SI
By Farbod Esnaashari | Last updated Feb 13, 2025 7:40 PM ET

Facing the reigning NBA champions is an eye-opening moment for every team in the league. Especially, a young one with the intention of making playoff noise in the near future.

For Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, facing the Celtics was a moment to experience what true championship defense was like. It was an encounter that impressed Wembanyama at the end of the Wednesday night.

"They know how to fit in the system," Wembanyama said. "Their team defense is really good, and it makes it hard because they can really count on each other to cover up for each other’s mistakes. It's different than most teams."

Leading DPOY candidate Victor Wembanyama is impressed by Boston's team defense:

"They know how to fit in the system. Their team defense is really good, and it makes it hard because they can really count on each other to cover up for each other’s mistakes. It's different than… pic.twitter.com/8PYsCxmmP6
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) February 13, 2025

It wasn't just Wembanyama who was impressed with the Celtics, but Boston was impressed with him as well.

“The impact that he has on the defensive end, just with his length and his wingspan is, like, historic," Kristaps Porzingis said about Wembanyama. "We haven’t seen this.”

Kristaps Porzingis on Victor Wembanyama: “The impact that he has on the defensive end, just with his length and his wingspan is, like, historic. We haven’t seen this.” pic.twitter.com/6knLFMEF8j
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) February 13, 2025

On Thursday night against the Celtics, Wembanyama put up 17 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks on 44/17/100 shooting from the field. While some may consider that a bad night for Wembanyama, it's still an astonishing performance for a 21-year-old against the reigning NBA champions.

The future is immensely bright for Wembanyama, what matters the most now is seeing the San Antonio Spurs build a team around him.

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This article first appeared on San Antonio Spurs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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