Jeff Teague urges fans: Durant still above Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama’s postseason surge for the Spurs has made him the loudest name in the conversation—yet former champion Jeff Teague is pushing fans to slow down. Teague, speaking on his Club 520 podcast, argues Wembanyama hasn’t surpassed Kevin Durant, and he

San Antonio’s postseason is full of moments that feel like they belong to the future.

In the Spurs’ Western Conference Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Victor Wembanyama has been the focal point—again and again. Across the series. he’s averaging 29.3 points. 15 rebounds and three blocks. and he’s been scorching from the floor and the perimeter in a way that turns defensive plans into guesswork. His overall shooting line in the postseason debut run is 53.8 percent from the field. 36.4 percent from deep. and 85.5 percent from the foul line.

Even his scoring profile in this postseason has a story baked into it: the production is up from his regular season numbers. but the drop-off in certain shooting percentages is still part of what makes the current season feel like a moving target. In the regular season. Wembanyama averaged 25 points. 11.5 rebounds. 3.1 assists. 3.1 blocks. hitting 51.2 percent from the field. 34.9 percent from deep. and 82.7 percent from the foul line.

Oklahoma City has tried to make that task physical. And the numbers suggest they’ve succeeded at at least one thing—getting him to the free-throw line. Wembanyama is getting to the foul line as often as Thunder two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. a detail Teague’s comparison later circles back to. even as Wembanyama remains ahead on the efficiency debate from distance. In the matchup with Gilgeous-Alexander. Wembanyama is out shooting him from deep: 42.9 percent from deep for Wembanyama against 28.6 percent from deep for Gilgeous-Alexander on the same number of attempts.

For many fans. that’s part of why the conversation keeps turning into an argument about who’s truly “the face of the NBA.” One idea has been repeated so often it’s almost become a refrain: Wembanyama is on track to be the defining player of the league in the not-too-distant future. and depending on who you ask. he may already be the top player.

That’s also why the pushback has landed with force.

Former NBA champion and All-Star point guard Jeff Teague doesn’t deny the wonder. But he insists the hype has gone too far.

Speaking on his Club 520 podcast. Teague said. “I’m gonna keep it real: We love Wemby because we ain’t never seen anything like him. but he’s not f**king with KD. ” before adding. “It’s not even possible.” Teague’s argument leans on defense. He said, “Defensively, he’s gonna be the greatest defender we’ve ever seen … so let’s just stop there.”.

Then he anchored his stance with a personal thread: “Wemby looked up to KD, bro.”

Teague’s bigger point was about timing and comparison—using both players’ third seasons as reference points. That exercise is described as an interesting one in the middle of the discussion. because it comes down to offensive brilliance versus defensive brilliance. with one major complication: the minutes difference. Wembanyama averaged 29.2 minutes this season. while Durant played the league’s most minutes in his third season. averaging 39.5 minutes per contest.

Still, Teague’s comparison rests on Durant’s production and efficiency. Durant averaged 30.1 points on 47.6 percent from the field. 36.5 percent from deep. and 90 percent from the foul line while leading the league in free throw attempts. Durant also posted 60.7 percent true shooting. During that stretch. the Thunder won 50 games and were eliminated in the first-round postseason. losing to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Teague’s stance also includes a note about continuity—an implied contrast to the kind of “drop-off” fans sometimes look for when comparing young stars. Durant’s third season and his later season. Teague’s framing says. didn’t show a drop-off from that level of impact. His first season with the Rockets is used as the baseline for that durability: Durant averaged 26 points. 5.5 rebounds. 4.8 assists. shooting 52 percent from the field. 41.3 percent from deep. and 87.4 percent from the foul line. with 64.1 percent true shooting. That same Rockets season ended with a 52-30 record, despite injuries across the roster.

There’s a human tension inside all of this, and it’s simple: Wembanyama is playing like someone who might rewrite what NBA greatness looks like, while Durant remains the standard for impact in the league’s early superstar era.

The facts on the floor are moving in front of everyone—Wembanyama’s 29.3 points. 15 rebounds and three blocks in the Western Conference Finals. his 42.9 percent from deep in the matchup against Gilgeous-Alexander. and his ability to reach the foul line at the same rate as a two-time MVP. But Teague wants the argument to hold on one question longer: where Wembanyama truly stacks up against Kevin Durant. not just in highlight-level defense. but in the full package of offense. efficiency. and minutes.

As the Spurs and Thunder keep grinding through the stakes of a series that’s already defining the postseason’s storyline, the debate is unlikely to cool down. Wembanyama may be the player people can’t stop watching—but Teague is making sure the league doesn’t crown him too quickly.

Victor Wembanyama Spurs Oklahoma City Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Kevin Durant Jeff Teague Club 520 podcast Western Conference Finals NBA MVP Defensive Player of the Year