Wemby Has Unlocked Another Level | The Story with Rachel Nichols

Just when you think Victor Wembanyama has reached his ceiling, you remember he's seven foot four and Mississippi State's quarterback just hit the NIL lottery. I'm Rachel Nichols and welcome to the story. I want to start with the NBA where the San Antonio Spurs are not just bringing a 10-game winning streak to tonight's game against the Warriors, but also a version of Victor Wembanyama that feels like a clear level up from what we saw even just at the start of this season. And yeah, anytime I use the words level up and Wembanyama in the same sentence, everyone else should probably treat that as a DEFCON 1 situation. Because Victor is averaging 30 points a game, up from 25 last season. And he's shooting 54%, up from 51. But he's achieved those higher numbers while still taking about the same number of threes. And he's also turning it over less. All of that means that this uptick, it's less about him getting stronger or developing a specific shot. And more about Wemby making better choices about when, where, and how to shoot. And he fully acknowledges this himself. In his words, the main difference between now and before is, quote, mostly decision-making. And you can even see this on a granular level. You guys probably all saw the viral clip from a few days ago where he takes off from behind the free throw line, 16 feet from the basket, and then finger rolls the ball into the hoop. But while the shot was amazing, the truth behind it is frankly a little bit more interesting. Victor saw that there were two smaller Suns defenders waiting for him. And he explained that one of the things he now runs through his head in those situations is how much is going at another player going to put his body at risk of injury? Particularly his legs and ankles where he's had trouble before. Take a listen. You had that really long stride layup. Is there a conscious thought process in the middle of that or are you just reacting? Yeah I didn't want these guys to get into my legs so I figured since it was too small I would just have them meet me in the air if they wanted to. But they didn't. You didn't? No. No they did not. And a side note, there was another priceless moment in that same presser after a reporter told Wemby he was only the second player in 45 years who's been able to drop 40 points in 25 minutes. Wembanyama replied, quote, I should keep the physically amazing things for the amazingly difficult situations, not the day-to-day, which is a particularly cold-blooded way to say, I can't believe I wasted this against the Phoenix Suns. Of course, the uptake in Wemby's decision-making is only possible because of the space created by having so many good options around him. One of those would, of course, be Dylan Harper, who continues to develop at just a meteoric rate. Playing mostly off the bench last season, Dillon went from about 12 points a game to now, as a starter, averaging 18. He's making more than 77% of his shots right around the basket, which leads the NBA. And of course, the five players right behind him on that list, well, they're all big, Matt. He's also only the third guard in NBA history with at least 1,000 points, 300 assists on 50% shooting in his first 80 games. The other two, Magic Johnson I'm Michael Jordan. Now, Harper's ascension could have created a sticky situation for coach Mitch Johnson, who already had two other starting guards. All summer, analysts discussed how shaky it would be to start all of them. And you get it, right? Last season, De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Harper, they were outscored by 47 points in the paltry 69 minutes they played together. But Johnson felt strongly that as long as Wemby was still on the court to block shots, The Spurs should just go with their five best players. Figure it out. They could figure that small guard lineup. And they did. In fact, this first starting five has the best defense of any lineup in the league. Seriously. Now, I get it. It's November. And the schedule hasn't exactly been a gauntlet. For example, tonight's Warriors matchup will now be without Steph, who has an abdominal injury. But still, the Spurs haven't lost since October, and the reasons why look built to last. And while Victor says he preferred to save the physically amazing stuff for the games that count more in the spring, the mentally amazing stuff, well, that now seems to be a day-to-day thing, even in the fall. All right, let's get to college football, where Mississippi State just handed one of the biggest quarterback deals in the sport to a sophomore rehabbing from toe surgery on a team that hasn't won a game since September. And I got to tell you guys, to me, it's exactly the right call. I'm, of course, talking about Bulldogs quarterback Camario Taylor, who has announced he's coming back to Starkville in 2027. For a reported $7 million, which is kind of crazy for a school that does not have the monster NIL budget that a lot of the bigger boy schools do. Still, there is no doubt this kid is special. First of all, he's been a Mississippi State fan himself basically since birth, having grown up just a bit down the road. And he kicked this year off by leading the team to a 4-0 start, throwing 17 touchdown passes in six games. Then he hurt his toe in the win over Missouri. He tried to play through it, but finally needed season-ending surgery. And since that injury, the Bulldogs have lost five straight. So yeah, he is good. But the big payout is still about more than that. See, on Monday, you may remember college football doubled its playoff to 24 teams beginning next season. A field of that size? Well, it opens the door to teams with four losses, which is a much more attainable bar to clear for this school. In fact, the man who chairs the college football board that signed off on the expanded playoff? Yeah, Mississippi State's own president, Mark Keenum. The timing matters, too, because football's early signing period starts less than three weeks Mississippi State told Camarillo's camp it plans to spend more on the roster around him, and quality players are reportedly already intrigued by the idea of joining him. Of course, that $7 million is still a big gamble. The toe has to heal. The roster dollars actually have to land on good players. And one quarterback can't close a recruiting gap all by himself. But the fact that the Bulldogs even get to walk into the casino doors, well, that is a big change from the pre-NIL days, when elite programs would see a star developing in a smaller program and just recruit that guy to transfer. Now, the power schools can, of course, still try. But teams like the Bulldogs have something to convince their stars to stay. Money. And they can get big-time alumni to help them in a way they never could before. In this case, Kansas City Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones, well, he chipped in for part of Taylor's deal. Or another way to look at it is that it used to be that a star quarterback at a school like Mississippi State was just a rental for someone richer. This time, State got to be the one that signed the lease. All right, let's get to baseball, where the sport has handed out its two Cy Young Awards. Brewers ace, Jacob Mizell, has, of course, won in the National League, unanimously. And Yankees' ace, Cam Schultler, has won in the American League, unanimously. To say that is a rare understatement, right? Because in the 60 years baseball has given out a Cy Young in each league, both winners going unanimous has only happened a handful of times, both winners being 25 or younger. has happened just a handful of times, and this is the first year ever that both happened at once. Add in the fact that at 24 and 25 years old, respectively, each of them made a base salary of right around $800,000 this season. To compare that, Tariq Schubel, who won the previous two American League Cy Youngs, he made $32 million. For those of you mathing at home, that is about 20 times what these two made combined. And I'm making this point only to note But neither of these guys can become a free agent until after the 2031 season. So Milwaukee and New York have the two best pitchers in baseball locked in for five more years. That is a huge opportunity to grow the sport to fans of each team and even beyond each team. And let me assure you, these are faces that can sell. One of them throws so hard he can practically knock batters into the next county. In fact, in the near 20 years since baseball started pitch tracking, only Ardolis Chapman Ever thrown a faster pitch. The other kid is from Massachusetts. He, of course, grew up rooting for the Red Sox and then pitched the Yankees, passed them in the playoffs last year. Great, right? Fantastic for baseball, right? Except... Um, well, baseball's labor deal expires in just 17 days. The owners are widely expected to lock out the players in a fight to finally put in a salary cap, which the owners want, and players say they will never accept. So any momentum coming from these two spectacular young stars could be easily stalled. Not great, Bob. And one more reason why if there is going to be a lockout, both sides need to get it over with quickly. Because opportunities and Cy Young winners like this, they just don't come around that often. Okay, guys, as we head into another NFL weekend, just a quick reminder, the Chargers will once again be trying to get their first win of the season. Yay. But hey, at least their social media team is undefeated. You guys may remember the trade deadline earlier this week when LA sent linebacker Deion Henley to Denver. The deal was, of course, pending a physical, and the Broncos backed out over concerns about his knee. So take a look at what the Chargers social team did. This was the first post after the trade. And then here's what they did once the deal fell through. Just excellent stuff. Well, I guess, of course, unless you're Henley, who went from an 0-8 team to a 7-2 team and then back to an 0-8 team, all in like 36 hours. Anyway, also on Sunday, don't forget number three USC and number one South Carolina are playing each other in women's basketball. Juju Watkins finally getting her shot at Dawn Staley's Gamecocks after she missed both meetings last season. All right, I'm Rachel Nichols. Thanks for watching The Story. Here at Sports Illustrated, as you know, the games may end, but the stories don't.