The San Antonio Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first time this season on Saturday, and Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards are emerging as a key rivalry for the league to bill moving forward.
The San Antonio Spurs, for the first time this season, beat the Minnesota Timberwolves. On Saturday, the Spurs sent them packing, winning in a 126-123 thriller despite Anthony Edwards posting 55 points.
Victor Wembanyama led the way for San Antonio, posting 39 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. He swatted a Julius Randle floater and a Joan Berringer layup, but fans didnd't really get to see him meet Edwards at the rim.
Wemby is the league's best defender, and Edwards is the league's best dunker, so it's only a matter of time before the two have a viral moment. Fans will have to wait and see who comes out on top.
Edwards and Wemby Should Be a Top Rivalry#
This season, the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder have emerged as one of the best rivalries in the league. Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren have been billed as rivals, although their personalities don't really lend themselves to "beef."
While Edwards' Timberwolves tend to get matched up with the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, the Spurs and Wolves, in theory, should be the top rivalry.
The inevitability of Ant-Man and Wemby meeting at the rim is a factor, of course.
"He's trying to dunk on everybody, so I'm not an exception," said Wembanyama after the game. "I'll be up for the challenge, of course. If he's got good momentum and if I'm just a little bit late, he might be not very forgiving. It's fine. I'll try. Over the years, I'll try to block him more than he dunks on me."
The Thunder have put up a facade of being nonchalant when it comes to both winning and losing, leaning on their status as defending champs. That doesn't really make for a compelling story, but both Wembanyama and Edwards are outspoken, charismatic, and competitive freaks. They both want to win, and it seems like they respect one another for voicing their opinions along the way.
While Edwards and Wemby play very different games, both are top players who can go toe-to-toe on the court, at press conferences, and on social media. The Thunder are simply not very interesting. In order to garner attention and build viral moments, the league should lean into its more interesting stars--Wemby and Edwards instead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander--as the faces of the league.