Alexander Wilson
The Knicks will spend the next few days hearing about Victor Wembanyama, and they should. He changes everything.
I just think the first Spurs problem is actually De’Aaron Fox. If New York does not contain the point of attack, the ball gets to Wembanyama in cleaner spots, the defense starts rotating early, and Mitchell Robinson’s broken right pinky becomes even more relevant because every possession turns into a scramble.
Game 1 is Wednesday in San Antonio at 8:30 ET on ABC. The Spurs beat the Thunder 111-103 in Game 7, with Wembanyama scoring 22, Fox adding 15 with five assists, and Stephon Castle scoring 16.
Fox can bend the defense before Wembanyama touches it
Wembanyama is the headliner, but Fox is the pressure valve who can make the Knicks uncomfortable before the ball ever reaches the frontcourt. He averaged 18.6 points and 6.2 assists during the regular season, and his speed still forces defenses to make early decisions.
That matters against a Knicks team built around physicality, rebounding, and half-court toughness. If Fox gets downhill, he can pull Robinson away from the rim, create kick-outs, and force Karl-Anthony Towns into uncomfortable help decisions.
Castle adds another layer. He is young, strong, and fearless enough to make the Knicks defend multiple drives before Wembanyama even starts bending the possession. If Fox and Castle win the first line of attack, San Antonio’s offense gets a lot easier.
Brunson still controls New York’s answer
The Knicks have their own pressure point in Jalen Brunson, who is averaging 27.6 points and 6.8 assists in the playoffs. He will be the engine, but this matchup may demand more defensive work from the guards than people expect.
Mike Brown needs clean point-of-attack defense from Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Deuce McBride, and OG Anunoby when he gets switched onto smaller creators. The Knicks cannot let Fox turn the first pass into an advantage every time.
Robinson intends to play through the pinky injury, which is a big deal, but the brace still matters. Rebounding, catching, finishing, and contesting through contact all get harder when one hand is compromised. The cleaner the Knicks are at the point of attack, the less they have to ask Robinson to clean up behind everyone.
The Knicks cannot ignore Wembanyama. Nobody can. But the first layer of this series may be whether they keep Fox out of the paint and prevent Castle from adding downhill stress.
If New York wins that battle, Wembanyama still gets his moments. If the Knicks lose it, the Spurs’ star gets to play against a tilted defense all night, and that is how a 1999 rematch starts feeling like a completely different kind of problem.
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