Karl-Anthony Towns reveals why he said Victor Wembanyama can't guard him in the NBA Finals

Karl-Anthony Towns reveals why he said Victor Wembanyama can't guard him in the NBA Finals originally appeared on The Sporting News .

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One of the best matchups during the 2026 NBA Finals was the duel between the centers. The New York Knicks ' Karl-Anthony Towns was seen as the underdog against the San Antonio Spurs ' superstar Victor Wembanyama. With those expectations, it's no wonder Towns took the matchup personally.

While Wembanyama still ended up averaging 26 points per game in the Finals, he did average 42.3% from the field. It was not the most efficient series for him because Towns was making it hard for him. Offensively, Towns did have an advantage over Wembanyama because the 2015 #1 overall pick knew how to use his physicality to overpower his younger counterpart.

Karl-Anthony Towns speaks about why he felt Victor Wembanyama could not defend him

For a long time, people had the misconception that Towns was a 'soft' player. That has never been the case because he has always been a physically imposing player. Of course, he has gone against some of the league's strongest centers when he was younger.

Now that he has grown up and matured, he has become one of the toughest centers in the league. That was clear during the NBA Finals because he managed to overpower Wembanyama multiple times, something that just did not happen often during the three previous series in the 2026 Playoffs.

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Since Towns had a chip on his shoulder in his matchup, whenever he made a big play against Wemby, he made everyone know about it. He was quite vocal in the Finals, especially when he spoke about how Wembanyama could not guard him.

"I was just being competitive. I have tremendous confidence in my ability and what I do and the work I put in. It’s the finals, and you’re on the biggest stage against one of the best players in the world, and I wanted to prove again, after all these years, where I stand in the NBA," Towns said on The Interview with the New York Times .

Moving forward, this is a confidence boost for Towns because he is a champion now. He still has a long career ahead of him, so this will be something that will alwayas stick with him for a long time, so him being more confident should not be surprising.

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