Whenever the San Antonio Spurs suffer a loss, much of the scrutiny quickly falls on Victor Wembanyama despite his young age.
Wembanyama is currently facing heat after the Spurs’ back-to-back home losses in the NBA Finals, but popular analyst Colin Cowherd defended his incomplete game at age 22 by referencing the historic struggles of all-time greats early in their careers.
Colin Cowherd Defends Victor Wembanyama With LeBron James, Magic Johnson Comparison
Cowherd was joined by NBA analyst Jason Timpf on his podcast and they reacted to the first two games of the NBA Finals. Cowherd spoke about how NFL quarterbacks are often given until their third season before facing serious judgment. Meanwhile, NBA prospects are frequently expected to be fully developed much earlier.
“NIL probably makes it two or three [years], but a lot of these Euros, you know, they’re in the academy playing against older guys,” Cowherd said. “That’s an advantage. But we forget LeBron [James] had to fail miserably against Dallas in the Finals before he added a layer to his game. Magic Johnson at one point was called Tragic Johnson after a horrible Finals. These are basketball cultures that are different.
“Wemby, it’s been suggested [and I don’t think it’s a terrible idea, people said, ‘You should call Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and develop a little bit of a baby hook.’ Not 13 times a game, three. Just add a dimension to it. I think this idea that Wemby at 22, Dylan Harper looks really young all the time in this series. It’s like, guys, let’s be fair to basketball culture… I think we’re sometimes a little unfair because we look at these iconic prodigies and we’re like, ‘This game’s not complete.’ Of course, who is complete at 22?”
Colin cowherd says that victor wembanyama is only 22 years old he has time to develop his game . People forget that lebron James . Michael Jordan and magic Johnson all had growing pains aswell . He says basketball needs to be like baseball and the nfl and let young players grow pic.twitter.com/ogT2H9VHh0
— joebuddenclips/fanpage (@Thechat101) June 7, 2026
In the 2011 NBA Finals, James and the Miami Heat fell to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. James averaged only 17.8 points per game and faced heavy criticism, especially for lacking dependable post-up and mid-range counters when Dallas clogged the paint. Johnson faced similar scrutiny after making crucial mistakes in the 1984 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. However, both players eventually built resumes that place them firmly in the GOAT conversation.
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As for Wembanyama, the fact that he has already led the Spurs to the NBA Finals in just his third season is incredible in its own right. He has delivered several strong performances as well, but there are areas that critics have focused on.
Wembanyama has shot just 40.5% from the field in the series and is averaging 5.0 turnovers per game. One of those miscues came late in Game 2 against the New York Knicks, when an errant pass led to a very costly turnover that killed San Antonio’s comeback.
The Knicks have succeeded in limiting Wembanyama by forcing him into more perimeter jump shots, and Karl-Anthony Towns has done a terrific job matching up with him.
New York is two wins away from ending its 53-year championship drought, and all eyes are on Wembanyama to see if he and the Spurs can make this series interesting. The French star has shown an ability to elevate his game when the pressure is at its highest, so he can’t be counted out just yet.
