Stephen A. Smith assumes Timberwolves want Victor Wembanyama on court ‘because he’s skinny’

Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images. ESPN

Victor Wembanyama is considered one of the most dominant players in the NBA by just about everyone, except for maybe Stephen A. Smith.

The San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves are tied 2-2 in their Western Conference Semifinals series. But it’s fair to wonder whether the Spurs would be holding a 3-1 lead if Wembanyama wasn’t ejected in the second quarter of Game 4 for throwing a vicious right elbow at Timberwolves center Naz Reid.

Luckily for the Spurs, Wembanyama didn’t receive a suspension for the elbow, meaning he’ll be available to play in Game 5. That’s seemingly bad news for the Timberwolves, however, who surely would prefer to play the game without having to face arguably the league’s most dominant force, right? Not according to Smith.

“How do you know they don’t want Wemby on the basketball court tonight?” Smith asked on First Take. “They might want it, even though he’s 7’ 5”. They might want him out there! Especially because this is not the Diesel.

“If it’s somebody like Shaquille O’Neal walking around 330, 340 (lb) and dunking on your mug, that would be different. But because of how skinny he is, you might have some cats that might want him out there. As great as he is, they might want him out there, just so they can make sure he feels them.”

If that’s the case, why didn’t Naz Reid, Anthony Edwards, and others on the Timberwolves stand up and plead with the officials to let Wembanyama avoid an ejection Sunday night?

As big as Wembanyama is, Smith seems to focus on the physical traits he lacks. Like his weight, or his “” as he previously stated. But even though Wembanyama might be skinny, he’s still an imposing player. Even someone with a more Shaq-like physique, like , thinks so.