Victor Wembanyama's ascent has already forced the NBA to recalibrate what is physically possible, but a growing corner of the league's commentariat is now focused on something harder to measure — the Spurs star's competitive instinct.
On a segment with Nick Wright, analyst Brou argued that the 22-year-old already carries a mentality that places him in a far smaller historical tier than his sheer size might suggest.
"First of all — I'm smitten," Brou said of Wembanyama's recent stretch. "You gotta love that. Even Nick Wright has got to love that mentality."
Brou then reached straight for the highest bar in the discussion. "Whatever it is, to me he has the mentality of a Kobe Bryant, a Michael Jordan. Like, he wants it all — and I love it."
That framing matters, Brou argued, because the history of towering offensive forces is not uniformly flattering. He invoked Wilt Chamberlain as a cautionary counterpoint.
"Wilt Chamberlain obviously was incredibly dominant," Brou said, "but those that played during that time and historians of that time would say he lacked that killer instinct. He only won two championships — which is nice — but he wasn't out to just destroy."
Brou went further, borrowing a famous line from a Hall of Fame voice to sharpen the point. "Steve Kerr once told me, this is during Shaq's prime — he told me, if Shaq had the killer instinct, he probably would have eight titles by now."
The implication was unmistakable. Dominance without a nightly edge has historically cost big men rings. Brou's conviction is that Wembanyama has the edge — and the mindset required to stack trophies in a way his historical size comparables could not.
From there, the discussion pivoted to the active MVP race, where Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains the consensus favourite. Brou would not vault Wembanyama to the top of his ballot just yet, but he gave a specific tipping point.
"I think the key to him winning the MVP is the number one seed," Brou said. "Look, I've had Shai number one. But if Wemby and the Spurs get the number one seed, I do think he'll win it. Shai is clearly the favourite. If they get the number one seed, though, I think a lot of people will go on Wemby's side, and I think he'll win it."
That condition puts a spotlight on a Spurs team that has climbed the Western Conference standings far faster than most observers expected. Wembanyama was already the near-unanimous Defensive Player of the Year; a best-in-conference record would hand him both regular-season awards in the same year.
For now, the SGA–Wemby debate looks set to run into the final week of the regular season. But Brou's framing — a mentality match with Kobe and Jordan rather than with Wilt or prime Shaq — is the kind of language that shifts MVP narratives. It also lines up with what scouts and opponents have been saying privately for months: the scariest part of Wembanyama's development is not his reach, it is his appetite.
As Brou put it, with Nick Wright nodding along: "He wants it all."
