Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs might look like they have the Western Conference on lock for the rest of the decade right now, but the Phoenix Suns are quietly building resistance in The Valley.
Suns creating varied defensive roster to slow down Wembanyama
You're not going to find another center who can match Wembanyama for height and skill (Chet Holmgren's struggles have proved that), but the Suns are going the other direction in building out their front line with smaller and more physical bigs to push him around.
Khaman Maluach the perfect place to start, given he is a legitimate seven footer himself but already possesses the kind of raw power and physicality that we have seen Isaiah Hartenstein of the Oklahoma City Thunder use against the future league MVP. Even as a 19-year-old, the one skill he does have which is NBA ready is an ability to mix it up in the paint.
Maluach is also quick enough to chase Wembanyama away from the basket, which is where Oso Ighodaro enters the chat. An undersized backup at the five, he made real progress in his sophomore campaign and will be used by the Suns at both the forward and center position moving forward.
He has no chance of stopping a Wembanyama lob or contesting shots, but can get into his body when he tries to catch those passes and make life difficult for him before he gets into his driving or shooting motion.
So people are asking why Wemby isn’t getting going, why he only has single digits in what people called “Game 5 the most important”
— BKS Sports (@BKSecretsports) May 27, 2026
I’m here to tell you about Victor Wembanyama, while he’s a very unique player something we’ve never seen. People have to accept he’s still very… pic.twitter.com/ohKNhjsT43
Head coach Jordan Ott had success sending Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale to slow Wembanyama down during the regular season, with the Thunder attempting a similar tactic with Alex Caruso in the playoffs.
This can never work for an entire game, but varying coverage is what gives teams the best chance of throwing him off.
Obviously when he's making 3-pointers from Stephen Curry range there is nothing you can do, but it is encouraging to see the Suns put together a roster with Wembanyama in mind. The hard part comes in keeping their electric guards quiet as well, but one problem at a time.
Balancing the clear need for more offensive firepower is another issue for coach Ott that has nothing to do with the Spurs, which is why a suggested trade for Rui Hachimura kind of makes sense. If the Suns are to continue closing the gap on the elite teams out West however, stopping Wembanyama like they appear to be attempting to do is rightly a top priority.
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