What's Wright - Best Of - Nick Wright LIGHTS UP Stephen A. Smith for Jaylen Brown threat, Wemby OFFICIALLY BEST PLAYER in the world, SGA Top 5 guard in NBA history?

Welcome to our weekly best-of on What's Right with Nick Wright—favorite moments and takes from the week; enjoy.

That Spurs–Thunder double overtime felt like a movie; is it time to overreact, and was Wimby tired or just rising?

I’m not calling the series, but I am calling the moment: like LeBron in 2007, I just watched a 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama seize the mantle as the best player alive, dropping 41 and drilling a cold 30-footer after owning double overtime. It doesn’t guarantee a ring, but it did announce to the league that the road to a title now runs through him.

Is competitiveness actually his best trait?

It’s right near the top, and the Hakeem echo was perfect: in 1995 Olajuwon watched Robinson accept MVP, then cooked him; Wimby saw SGA get MVP and answered with 41 points, 24 rebounds, and that deep dagger. With Hakeem as a mentor figure, he’s now chasing best international player and all-time defensive greatness.

What’s up with Wimby versus Chet—real rivalry or one-way smoke?

There’s history from a youth event where Chet got MVP despite Wimby outplaying him, and Victor is clearly hunting him now. OKC often protected Chet while Caruso’s strength bothered Wimby more than Chet did; Chet had that massive block, but across the night he looked rattled.

SGA logged 51 minutes and shot seven of 23; how did he look?

It was a rough night where more physical defense and fewer freebies showed up, and he needed both overtimes just to reach 20, though I expect a 35-type bounce back. His “best player alive” window might’ve lasted minutes before Wimby snatched it, and historically I’ve got him as a top-ten guard—more Wade than Kobe when he isn’t living at the line.

Dylan Harper found out an hour before tip that he’d start; who do you prefer long-term, Spurs or Thunder big three?

I’d take the Spurs trio going forward, and even strip the stars and I still lean Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle over Chet and J-Dub. Harper learned late he’d start and put up 24 points, 11 boards, 6 assists, and 7 steals with a plus-14, while Caruso’s impact—and that infamous Lakers lowball backstory—popped again.

Quick pivot: Jalen Brown called out Stephen A for clickbait, and Stephen A warned he could air out locker-room opinions—what’s your read?

If he truly has news, report it; the mob-boss act and veiled threats miss that we’re the side shows and the athletes are the main event, so when they clap back you don’t escalate, you smile and stand on your take. Fans don’t want power plays, they want respect—and if you crave main-event status, step into the arena yourself.

On hoop substance, SGA deserved MVP wire to wire and is securely a top-ten guard who could pass Wade with a ring. The international wave keeps building as Wimby surges, and the next American MVP likely comes from Jayson Tatum, with Cooper Flag looming; we’ll see.