Victor Wembanyama’s next step is not growing his game but growing up

Let's make one thing clear. Even though he just lost his first career NBA Finals appearance, Victor Wembanyama's greatness remains inevitable. How many 22-year-old franchise players come three wins short of the Larry O'Brien Trophy? The answer is not many. This season and subsequent San Antonio Spurs playoff run will likely be the worst Wembanyama will be as a player for a long time. He will be back. Full stop.

>But Wembanyama's talent and immense capacity for improvement are not what's in question for me regarding his NBA future. What I worry about for this 22-year-old, like with many 22-year-olds, is whether he grows up enough to reach his destiny. That, to me, is the top priority for Wembanyama moving forward. I'm confident he'll round out his offensive game. I'm certain he'll gain much-needed strength and girth to better acquit himself against opposing players trying to bully him and his skinny frame. With experience, I'm positive he won't make the same backbreaking mental mistakes that helped the Spurs choke away four separate finals games in the fourth quarter.

>He's too dedicated to his individual craft to expect otherwise, too focused on the terrifying Lovecraftian monster he could well become.

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>While it seems likely Wembanyama will also finish maturing the way all young people in their 20s do in due time, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't less assured about that part. After watching Wembanyama's stunning lack of emotional intelligence (and regulation) in these finals, that is my primary concern with him moving forward. By far.

>You saw an example of it when Wembanyama claimed that he had to "play normal, not even good," to beat the Knicks after they stole Game 1 in San Antonio. Why bother to say something like that in public? You can feel confident in your ability as a performer, but who does it serve to tell the opponent, too? You saw it when Wembanyama admitted that he celebrated beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals a bit too much after the Spurs fell behind 0-2. You saw it when he kept toeing the line of "hard playoff foul" and "dangerous and unnecessary play" because he likely knew the NBA would keep its finger on the scale for him for his marketability rather than deservedly suspend and punish him for his careless recklessness mid-finals. You saw it when he kept taunting the Knicks, as if one of the most mentally tough NBA teams we've ever seen would be fazed, like he always had the upper hand in this matchup.

>Newsflash: He never did.

>Worse yet, you saw Wembanyama's utter lack of grace and sportsmanship when he walked off the court in Game 5 without acknowledging any of his competitors. This, before taking a weird jab at reporters simply doing their job in his post-finals loss press conference, as if he was still lashing out about his team's shortcomings. It was jarring to see Wembanyama act this way in one situation alone, which made it completely out of pocket to see it happen all series.

>I'm not here to begrudge Wembanyama for embracing his villainy. I also think it's great he's not shy about projecting his emotions and his confidence, for both himself and his Spurs teammates. We need more of that sort of competitive spirit and openness, not less, in modern athletes.

>The more we can humanize superstars like Wembanyama, who refuse to submit to media training, the better.

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>But there's a fine line between gleeful, good-natured sports villainy within the playing lines and talking trash and trying to hurt others while you're simultaneously getting embarrassed in the biggest moment of your career so far. And Wembanyama veered way too far to the latter during this championship series.

>In effect, Wembanyama entered his first NBA Finals resembling the Association's new Clark Kent, a superhero who seemed like a paragon of virtue and healthy values. He left it looking like an evil, irrational version of Superman, one who abuses his anointed status of influence and power and who has let all of his complimentary news clippings get to his head over time. I'll let you choose which of the two famous fictional versions of this character archetype he more closely resembles right now, dearest readers.

>Wembanyama will be back on this finals stage, and perhaps very soon. Whether he succeeds in his next go-around will depend on whether he grows up enough to stay even-keeled, calm, and humble amidst all of the immense pressure he'll face again.

>Another series-long temper tantrum won't cut it. It would only lead to the same tortured, frustrating outcome.

>This article originally appeared on For The Win: Victor Wembanyama has to grow up and mature for Spurs to win NBA title