As a historical-level talent monster in the NBA, Wenyaban was highly anticipated even before he entered the league. Simply from the perspective of physical talent, he is not inferior to "ancient beast" Chamberlain. In the basketball world and even the history of world sports, he is like a dazzling star. He stands at an impressive height of 2.16 meters with a wingspan that reaches a staggering 2.34 meters. Additionally, he possesses a pair of incredibly large hands, with an open length of 29.2 cm. Not only that, but he also boasts exceptional running and jumping abilities! He has athletic-level athleticism and endurance, and his running vertical jump reaches a terrifying 1.22 meters! Now let's take a look at Wenyaban. He stands at 2.24 meters tall, with a wingspan of 2.44 meters and a standing reach of 2.85 meters. Compared to Chamberlain, he surpasses him in terms of height and wingspan. Wenyaban also possesses outstanding running and jumping abilities, with a standing jump height of 0.97 meters and a running jump that is historically top-tier at 1.1 meters. In NBA history, there are legends of players being able to touch the top of the backboard, and Wenyaban is truly capable of achieving this feat!
Wenyaban not only possesses physical talents comparable to Chamberlain but also has very proficient basketball skills. He can easily score inside using his height advantage, dribble across half-court like a guard, and even shoot three-pointers with a soft touch from any position. Exaggeratedly, last season he had the best step-back three-pointer shooting percentage in the league! In his first season alone, he will shatter multiple NBA historical records, becoming the first rookie in NBA history to score 1500+ points, 250+ blocks, and 100+ three-pointers in a single season! This season, Wenyaban has also delivered several phenomenal performances. On October 27th against the Rockets, he played for 29 minutes, shooting 10 out of 17 for a total of 29 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 blocks. This marked the 23rd time he scored 25+ points before turning 21 years old, ranking second in NBA history behind O'Neal! On November 10th against the Jazz, he scored 24 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, blocked 7 shots, and made 6 three-pointers. This was the second time in his career that he achieved at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 5 three-pointers in a single game, making him the first player in NBA history to do so!
On November 12th against the Kings, he put up a comprehensive stat line of 34 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists. This was the seventh time before turning 21 that he recorded at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, trailing only Doncic and James! On December 20th against the Hawks, he played for 37 minutes, scoring 42 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, dishing out 5 assists, stealing 2 balls, blocking 4 shots, and making 7 three-pointers. He became the first player in NBA history to record at least 42 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, and 7+ three-pointers in a game! During the Christmas Day game, he scored another 42 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, and blocked 4 shots, becoming the third-highest scoring player in NBA history during their Christmas Day debut! On January 7th in the Spurs vs. Bulls game, Wenyaban scored 23 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, and blocked 8 shots. This was the seventh time in his career that he recorded at least 8 blocks in a single game, making him the most times by an NBA player under the age of 22!
However, on January 9th against the Bucks, Wenyaban had a subpar performance. In the entire game, he played for 33 minutes, shooting 4 out of 10 and making 2 out of 6 three-pointers for a total of 10 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. When Wenyaban performs like this, it's difficult for the Spurs to win. As expected, the Spurs suffered a crushing defeat by a margin of 16 points. Although the Spurs lost this game, Wenyaban still continued one of his personal NBA historical records! According to NBA.com statistics, the NBA historical record of at least one three-pointer and one block in consecutive games has been extended to 28 games by Wenyaban. Since November 1st of last year, he has made at least one three-pointer and sent at least one block in 28 consecutive games. Behind him is Porzingis of the Celtics, who achieved this feat in 20 consecutive games. Given Wenyaban's playing style, this record is likely to be continuously refreshed by him!
Now let's talk about Paul's law that might not work anymore. Looking back at Saint Paul's entire career, he has played for a total of 7 teams and gone through 6 trades! In 05, Paul was selected by the Hornets (now the Pelicans), and in the summer of 2011, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. The previous season, the Clippers had a record of 32 wins and 50 losses, ranking 13th in the West. After Paul's arrival, their record improved to 40 wins and 26 losses, rising to 5th in the West. After spending 6 seasons with the Clippers, Paul joined the Houston Rockets in the summer of 16. Before Paul arrived, the Rockets had a record of 55 wins and 27 losses, ranking third in the West. After his arrival, their record improved to 64 wins and 17 losses, rising to first in the West! Then in 19, he moved from the Rockets to the rebuilding Thunder, leading the tanking Thunder into the playoffs. Later, when he arrived at the Suns, he directly improved their record from 34 wins and 49 losses (10th in the West) to 51 wins and 21 losses (second in the West). After joining the Warriors, their record also improved from 44 wins and 38 losses to 46 wins and 36 losses! It's not hard to see that after Paul's first five team changes, the win rates of his new teams all showed positive improvements, and they all at least made it to the playoffs or play-in tournament. This is Paul's team-changing law!
This season, during his sixth team change to the Spurs, the improvement to the team is also evident. Why did the Spurs want Paul? It was to have him take on the role of mentor for the team. There are too many young players on this team, and they need a player with status, ability, and the ability to control the court to anchor the team! And Paul has done an excellent job in this task. Under his leadership this season, young potential players such as Wenyaban, Castle, Vassell, and Shampagne have further developed, and the team's win rate has remained at 50%, keeping the possibility of entering the play-in tournament alive. Last season, the Spurs only managed to achieve a record of 22 wins and 60 losses, and this season, their number of victories is bound to significantly increase! It's highly likely that Paul's law of improving the win rate after changing teams will be validated again with the Spurs, but the part about at least making it to the play-in tournament might not hold true!
Summarizing the Spurs' recent game state, they have lost 6 out of their last 9 games, and recently suffered a 3-game losing streak, causing their win rate to drop below 50% with a record of 18 wins and 19 losses, slipping to 10th in the West. Moreover, the Kings behind them have tied their record with a 5-game winning streak after a coaching change, and the Spurs only maintain their lead over them based on head-to-head results, with the possibility of falling down at any moment! Another unfavorable piece of news is that the Suns are right behind them. Although the Suns are currently in a mess, their personnel configuration is still there. If the team really trades away Beal, they possess the strength to launch a northern campaign, and currently, they have only played two fewer games than the Spurs with the same number of losses at 19! This means that the Spurs' current position could be overtaken by the Kings and the Suns at any time. Looking at the teams ahead in the West, such as the Thunder, Rockets, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Mavericks, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves, and Warriors, none of them are likely to collapse! To climb up, the Spurs would have to play perfect basketball!