Anyone with eyes can tell that the Wembanyama Spurs are dangerous to the NBA, but does it slam the Utah Jazz's championship window shut?
Victor Wembanyama is absurd. Standing at 7'5" with a wingspan above eight feet, he's the dazzling centerpiece at the core of the Spurs' entire organization, philosophy, and game plan. He takes care of his health like late-career Chris Paul. He trains with the Shaolin monks in the offseason (somewhat performative, but still very cool). He is the best shot-blocker in the entire NBA, and just drained a 35-foot three-pointer in the Western Conference Finals against the reigning champion OKC Thunder nearly identical to Stephen Curry's iconic dagger in the very same arena now 10 years ago.
All of this before his 23rd birthday, which by the way won't even arrive until halfway through next season.
He's known as "The Alien" for a reason -- we've never seen anything like this before, and we may never see anything like it again.
This bodes very, very poorly as the helpless citizens of the NBA look hopefully upwards toward the OKC slayers -- the vanquishers of professional basketball's newest villians -- only to realize that Wemby's Spurs are not here to save the city. No, San Antonio is here to take the Thunder's place.
What a terrible moment to be a Western Conference team hoping to win a championship.
Such is the case for the Utah Jazz, a team finally prepared to compete for a playoff spot, but now stares down the two towering monoliths of basketball prowess -- OKC and San Antonio -- and young ones, at that.
These two organizations are just getting started; if Utah wants to even reach the NBA Finals in the foreseeable future, their road likely passes through at least one of those titans.
It's no wonder the Minnesota Timberwolves are rumored to be campaigning for a spot in the Eastern Conference with expansion on the horizon -- the Western Conference is a nightmare.
It's not all bad news for the Utah Jazz, though. Take, for example, the possibility of selecting a star capable of diminishing Wembanyama's strangle hold on the sport -- AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson could fit the bill in a few years.
Wembanyama, a player who is longer than life with a very slight frame, could struggle with injuries even though he takes care of his body with unmatched fanaticism.
The Thunder face the rapidly-approaching danger of the salary cap, and a core of young players who will each request hefty salaries to stay put in the small-market of Oklahoma City. It'll be nearly impossible to pay them all.
Despite the horrifying future the Western Conference is witnessing in the NBA Playoffs this season, a window could certainly open up to opportunistic franchises. As for the Utah Jazz, they've done everything in their power to be standing on the porch if the door swings open.
