The Oklahoma City Thunder are one win away from returning to the NBA Finals after beating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 on Tuesday. The Thunder limited Victor Wembanyama‘s production on offense, with a couple of players getting credited for slowing down the Spurs superstar.
Speaking on ESPN’s SportsCenter after Game 5, Kendrick Perkins praised Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams for doing a wonderful job against Wembanyama. Perkins liked how physical the two big men were to Wemby, who looked tired and didn’t appear to be at his best.
“I thought tonight the Thunder, Isaiah Hardenstein, Jaylin Williams, they did an excellent job from start to finish of keeping the body on (Wemby), playing physical with him,” Perkins said. “And throughout the course of the game, we started to see for the first time that Wemby looked tired. He didn’t have his legs, and that’s because of the physical play by the two centers, the big men for the Oklahoma City Thunder.”
Perkins added that he didn’t like what he some from Wemby from the start. He preferred it if he was more aggressive in the paint rather than forcing his jumpshots.
Wemby had 20 points, six rebounds, two steals and three blocks, but he shot just 4-for-15 from the field and missed all five of his 3-point shots. The only positive was that he was able to get to the free-throw line and went a perfect 12-for-12.
Victor Wembanyama Skips Postgame Media Availability
GettyVictor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs is interviewed after Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on May 18, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
In a shocking turn of events after Game 5, Victor Wembanyama didn’t address the media following the Spurs’ loss to the Thunder.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the NBA will have to figure out how to respond to Wembanyama’s decision to skip the postgame media availability. It’s rare for stars to ignore reporters, especially someone like Wemby, who was voted the most media-friendly player by the Professional Basketball Writers Association.
Amick expects Wembanyama to received plenty of criticism for dodging the media after his lackluster performance. It doesn’t help that he was vocal when the Spurs were dominating the Thunder, so he has to answer questions regardless of the game’s result.
In addition to his performance, Wembanyama was unable to give his insight on bumping into Chet Holmgren early in the game.
Stephon Castle Wants Wemby to be More Aggressive
GettyVictor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs looks on during the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game Five of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Frost Bank Center on May 12, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Stephon Castle wants to see more aggressiveness from Victor Wembanyama in their next game. Castle believes that the Spurs will always have a shot at winning the game if Wembanyama doesn’t settle for jumpers.
“I think they send so many bodies towards him, it’s hard at times,” Castle said, via ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “I think he just wants to make the right play and wants to win. So, it’s tough. But yeah, he’s our best player. We need him to be aggressive. I feel like him being aggressive opens up shots for other guys.”
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson shared the same sentiment about Wemby, pointing to how his aggressiveness will have an effect on the team’s energy and overall performance.
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