Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama easier to guard than Steph Curry, ex-NBA players agree

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama easier to guard than Steph Curry, ex-NBA players agree originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Victor Wembanyama‘s emergence has been one of the major stories of the 2026 NBA playoffs.

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At 7-foot-4, the dominant French phenom is a nightmare matchup on both ends of the floor — so much so that Wembanyama’s offensive ability is being compared to Warriors star Steph Curry.

On Wednesday, a simple question was posed on the “Road Trippin’ Show” featuring former NBA players Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Kendrick Perkins: Who would you rather guard, Wembanyama or Curry?

There was a clear preference.

“I’d defend Wemby any day over Steph,” Jefferson said without much hesitation. “Give me Wemby, 100 percent.”

“No offense, yeah, give me Wemby,” Frye agreed. “Bro, I couldn’t even get on the court when Steph was out there.”

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Jefferson and Frye both had their fair share of matchups with Curry. Both played on the Cleveland Cavaliers squads that played the Warriors in the 2016 and 2017 NBA Finals. Jefferson even was Curry’s teammate for a brief period from 2012-13.

“Steph [is] different, man,” Jefferson continued. “And that’s not to — Steph is one of the greatest of all time. Everybody’s different, but if you told me which one is harder to game plan currently — now eventually, Wemby could be up there with the greatest to ever do it. Right now, from what you see, you don’t want to see Steph.”

Jefferson also highlighted the impact of former Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson in making the matchup with Curry especially difficult.

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“He had this other little light-skinned dude next to him that you were chasing around also that was doing the exact same thing, and it’s like, hey, the greatest shooter of all time. Who’s his teammate? I don’t know, maybe the second-best shooter of all time,” Jefferson explained, referring to Thompson.

“If you make a mistake on Steph, his teammates succeed because of their motion offense. So if you make a mistake on Steph, three guys run to him, he might not get the shot, but…

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Publish date : 2026-05-27 18:12:00

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