The 2026-27 season has not even begun, but Victor Wembanyama is already making teams rethink the way they build their respective rosters. It appears that some ball clubs are bringing in uber-tall big men to their lineups for the upcoming campaign, and it is difficult not to toss that up to the San Antonio Spurs superstar being on the verge of league dominance.
San Antonio, led by Wemby, made the NBA Finals despite their current core making it to the playoffs for the first time. That is simply unheard of, and while they ultimately fell short in their quest to give the franchise its sixth championship, there is no doubt that it is only a matter of time until they win the title.
Just recently, the Philadelphia 76ers (another team widely pegged as a strong favorite to win the championship next season) signed 7-6 center Tacko Fall to a training camp deal. Given that the big man has not seen NBA action in more than four years, it is not too farfetched to credit that decision to the fact that they simply need to have someone who can match someone like Wemby, at least vertically.
Teams scramble for bigs to keep pace with Wembanyama
The 76ers are not the only one. The Oklahoma City Thunder, which are already part of a league-defining rivalry with the Spurs, just drafted 7-3 big man Aday Mara with the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft. Obviously, with Chet Holmgren struggling against his counterpart, OKC hunted for someone who can help slow the French phenom down when they inevitably meet in the playoffs.
The Spurs will have a big chance to win multiple titles moving forward with Victor Wembanyama leading them, but of course, the other teams are not just going to allow them to walk into a dynastic run. As such, they are already devising ways to counter The Alien, although for now, there remains nothing that can definitively stop him.Â