The hardest part of defending San Antonio Spurs star big man Victor Wembanyama is that there has never been a player quite like him in the history of the NBA. But Boston Celtics point guard Derrick White has squared off with the Spurs star a few times, and had some limited success despite the absurd height disparity between the two (Wembanyama is over a foot taller than White).
Still, speaking on a recent episode of the “Run it Back” podcast, the Colorado native shared how he approaches covering the Frenchman. “I think you want to be physical,” White said, “but we’ve never really seen someone that is that size that can handle, can shoot from the perimeter.”
“So if you want to put a big on him, then he’s going to take him to the perimeter and you’re going to have to guard him out there,” he added.
“If you want to guard him with a small, then he can just throw it up to him and let him beat you tall, and so he’s one of a kind,” suggested White. “I’m not exactly sure who the (New York) Knicks will throw on him (in the 2026 NBA Finals).”
“I’m sure (Karl-Anthony Towns) might start on him, maybe probably OG (Anunoby) will get a lot of time too, and those guys are going to have their hands full definitely trying to figure it out. But I think being physical is the solution to every star … you’ve just got to be physical with them, and so I think that’s what everybody’s going to try.”
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics Derrick White on the challenge of guarding Victor Wembanyama
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