By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-03-31 13:24:41
圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马 (1) 在周一（2026年3月30日）于圣安东尼奥举行的NBA常规赛下半场，面对芝加哥公牛队球员莱昂纳德·米勒 (11) 和艾萨克·奥科罗 (35) 完成扣篮。(AP Photo/Darren Abate)
旧金山讯——在周一对阵芝加哥的比赛末段，维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 已经砍下39分，距离刷新赛季最高得分纪录仅一球之遥。
他下定决心要实现突破。
比赛还剩6分14秒时，文班亚马在罚球线接球，从公牛队防守球员莱昂纳德·米勒 (Leonard Miller) 和乔希·吉迪 (Josh Giddey) 之间穿过，面对芝加哥残缺的防线完成了一记势大力沉的左手劈扣。
任务圆满完成，且极具震撼力。
“我的目标是为球队创造最好的投篮机会，我并不在意球是否在我手上，”文班亚马在贡献了41分、16个篮板和3次盖帽的杰作，并带领马刺队以129-114击败公牛队，取得九连胜后说道。
“但当我拿到球时，”文班亚马补充道，“我就会得分。”
这种心态在周一对阵芝加哥时让文班亚马受益匪浅。在余下的NBA MVP争夺战中，这也可能对他大有裨益。
22岁的文班亚马可以说是自1959年威尔特·张伯伦 (Wilt Chamberlain) 带着他那巨人般势不可挡的气势从堪萨斯来到联盟以来，NBA见过的最具破坏力的防守力量。
他一直是马刺队的定海神针，这支球队已经连续六个赛季无缘季后赛，如今却取得了57胜18负的战绩，并威胁着俄克拉荷马城雷霆队西部第一的位置。
关于文班亚马获得MVP的资格，唯一的诟病（至少在某些人看来）是什么？他得分不够多。
在周三客场挑战金州勇士队的比赛之前，这位马刺队的全明星中锋场均得到职业生涯新高的24.5分。
自2006-07赛季以来，NBA只有一位MVP的场均得分低于25分。那是勇士队的斯蒂芬·库里 (Stephen Curry)，他在2014-15赛季场均得到23.8分。
俄克拉荷马城的谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)——公认的在今年夏天蝉联迈克尔·乔丹奖杯（MVP）的热门人选——场均得分高达31.6分。
“我不认为我们在比赛中考虑过任何奖项，”马刺队主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 说道，“这就是我们球队一整年的打球方式。（文班亚马）从未纠结于统计数据，尽管他显然能填满数据栏。他在比赛的方方面面都留下了烙印。”
文班亚马可能确实没有听到任何关于他需要得更多分来增加MVP胜算的议论。
然而，如果他听到了，那么周一这位身高7英尺4英寸的法国人在面对身材矮小的公牛阵容时所交出的答卷，或许就是他的回应。
文班亚马开场就进入了进攻模式并贯穿始终，他在右侧低位背身单打他在法国国家队的老队友盖尔雄·亚布塞莱 (Guerschon Yabusele)，为马刺队拔得头筹。
首节结束时，文班亚马在10次出手尝试中已经得到10分。
上场仅7分钟，文班亚马就拿到了10分10篮板的两双数据。就出场时间而言，这是自1973-74赛季NBA与ABA合并以来最快的两双纪录。
“我认为他想奠定基调，”约翰逊说道，“他做到了。”
到全场比赛结束时，文班亚马拿下了本赛季第三次40+，也是自2月10日战胜洛杉矶湖人队以来的第一次。
他全场27投17中，效率极高，其中24分是在篮下得到的。
总的来说，这是文班亚马自2024年圣诞大战在麦迪逊广场花园输给纽约尼克斯队砍下42分以来的最高得分。
“我觉得我需要让我的进攻回到一定的水平，”文班亚马在周一的爆发后说道，“但这不应该以牺牲防守为代价。”
质疑文班亚马为什么不能多一些像周一这样的得分之夜似乎有些不公平。考虑到马刺队在过去27场比赛中赢了25场，这似乎也显得多余。
这个“既不公平又多余”的答案包含两个方面。
首先，文班亚马场均仅出战29.3分钟，是NBA得分榜前20名球员中最少的。
然而，如果换算成每36分钟的数据，文班亚马场均得到30.1分，这一数字与其他MVP候选人更加吻合。
其次，马刺队打的是一种讲究球权移动的篮球风格，并非特别以文班为中心。他在进攻流转中获得最佳机会，而其他球队被迫对他投入的防守注意力往往会为队友创造空位机会。
马刺队并不总是通过文班亚马来发起进攻，因为他们不必这样做。马刺队有八名球员场均得分至少达到10分，如果这一纪录保持到赛季结束，将创下NBA纪录。
“这是我们打球方式的副产品，”约翰逊在谈到文班亚马相对克制的场均得分时说道，“我们一直在寻找谁的手感更好，并努力支持他，让他延续火力。这通常是我们行之有效的方法。”
周一对阵芝加哥，文班亚马决定轮到他在得分榜上统治比赛了。
圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马 (1) 在周一于圣安东尼奥举行的NBA比赛上半场，与芝加哥公牛队后卫乔希·吉迪（左）拼抢。(AP Photo/Darren Abate)
“他进入了状态，”前锋凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 表示，“从比赛一开始，他就能随心所欲地得分。”
在文班亚马隔扣了半支“风城”球队并创下赛季新高几分钟后发生的事情，突显了他在今年MVP争夺战冲刺阶段面临的困难。
就在马刺队结束与公牛队的比赛后不久，吉尔杰斯-亚历山大完成了一场47分的表演，带领雷霆队在加时赛逆转战胜底特律活塞队。
即使是一场本该增加文班亚马MVP筹码的得分表现，在那些只看总分的投票者眼中，也被掩盖了光芒。
无论MVP的角逐结果如何，马刺队都希望文班亚马继续触发这个全联盟最讲究机会均等的进攻体系。
“他是我们的核心，”凯尔登·约翰逊说道，“他会掌控球权并做出决定。我们会接受他做出的任何决定。”
随着文班亚马职业生涯的首个NBA季后赛将在本月晚些时候拉开帷幕，无论是否获得MVP，像周一这样的夜晚都可能带来回报。
在今年春天或夏天的某个时刻，马刺队将需要他们的当家球星接管一场季后赛。他已经证明了自己有这个能力。
当被问及是否能预见到自己在季后赛增加出手次数时，文班亚马停顿了一下才回答。
“我能预见到这种情况发生，”他说道，“我会不惜一切代价。”
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：Does Victor Wembanyama need to score more to win MVP?
Does Victor Wembanyama need to score more to win MVP?
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks against Chicago Bulls players Leonard Miller (11) and Isaac Okoro (35) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 30, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
SAN FRANCISCO — Victor Wembanyama had 39 points late in Monday’s game against Chicago, one basket away from setting a new season high.
He was determined to get it.
With 6:14 to play, Wembanyama took a pass at the free-throw line, split Bulls defenders Leonard Miller and Josh Giddey and finished a thunderous left-handed dunk over what was left of the Chicago roster.
Mission accomplished, demonstratively.
“My goal is to get the best shot for the team, and I don’t care if I get the ball,” Wembanyama said after his 41-point, 16-rebound, three-block masterpiece led the Spurs to their ninth consecutive victory, 129-114 over the Bulls.
“But when I do,” Wembanyama added, “I’m going to score.”
That mentality served Wembanyama well Monday against Chicago. It could also serve him well for the remainder of this season’s NBA MVP race.
The 22-year-old Wembanyama is arguably the most destructive defensive force the league has seen since Wilt Chamberlain first fee-fi-foe-fummed his way in from Kansas in 1959.
He has been the center of gravity for a Spurs team that went from out of the playoffs for six seasons running to a 57-18 record and threatening Oklahoma City for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
The only knock on Wembanyama’s MVP credentials, at least in some corners? He doesn’t score enough.
Heading into Wednesday’s game at Golden State, the Spurs’ All-Star center is averaging a career-high 24.5 points.
Since 2006-07, the NBA has crowned one MVP averaging fewer than 25. That was the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, who put up 23.8 points per game in 2014-15.
Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the consensus favorite to hoist his second straight Michael Jordan trophy this summer, is averaging 31.6 points.
“I don’t think we’ve ever gone into any approach thinking of any award,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “That’s how our team has played all year. (Wembanyama) has never been preoccupied with statistical numbers, even though he obviously fills up a box score. He leaves his imprints all over the game.”
It could be true that Wembanyama did not hear any of the chatter about needing to score more points to bolster his MVP case.
If he did hear it, however, the response might have looked a little like the performance the 7-foot-4 Frenchman turned in Monday against an undersized Bulls outfit.
Wembanyama opened the game in attack mode and stayed there, scoring the Spurs’ first bucket by posting up his old friend from the French national team, Guerschon Yabusele, on the right block.
By the end of the first quarter, Wembanyama already had 10 points on 10 shot attempts.
After seven minutes on the floor, Wembanyama had logged a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. In terms of court time, it marked the quickest double-double since the NBA-ABA merger in 1973-74.
“I thought he wanted to set a tone,” Johnson said. “And he did.”
By night’s end, Wembanyama had posted his third 40-point game of the season and his first since a Feb. 10 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
He was an efficient 17-of-27 from the floor, with 24 of his points coming at the rim.
Overall, it was Wembanyama’s highest-scoring effort since Christmas Day 2024, when he dumped 42 points on New York in a loss at Madison Square Garden.
“It felt like I needed my offense to get back to a certain level,” Wembanyama said after Monday’s eruption. “It shouldn’t be at the cost of defense, either.”
The question of why Wembanyama can’t have more scoring nights like Monday’s feels unfair. It also feels unnecessary, considering the Spurs have won 25 of their past 27 games.
The unfair and unnecessary answer is two-fold.
For one, Wembanyama only averages 29.3 minutes per game, fewest among the NBA’s top 20 scoring leaders.
Per 36 minutes, however, Wembanyama averages 30.1 points, a figure more in line with other MVP candidates.
Secondly, the Spurs play a ball-movement brand of basketball that isn’t particularly Wemby-centric. He gets his best looks within the flow of the offense, while the attention other teams are forced to pay him tends to create open looks for other teammates.
The Spurs don’t always run their offense through Wembanyama because they do not have to. Eight Spurs players are averaging at least 10 points, an NBA record if that holds through the end of the season.
“It’s a byproduct of how we play,” Johnson said of Wembanyama’s comparatively toned-down scoring average. “It’s continuing to find out whose night it is and trying to celebrate that and fan the flames and get that going. That has typically been the approach for us that has worked well.”
Monday against Chicago, Wembanyama decided it was his turn to dominate the scoreboard.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) tangles with Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 30, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
“He had it going,” forward Keldon Johnson said. “From the jump he was getting everything he wanted.”
What happened a few minutes after Wembanyama posterized half the Windy City on the way to a new season high underscores the difficulty he faces down the stretch of this year’s MVP hunt.
Not long after the Spurs had finished off the Bulls, Gilgeous-Alexander put the polishing touches on a 47-point outing that keyed OKC’s comeback overtime victory over Detroit.
Even a scoring performance that should have bolstered Wembanyama’s MVP resume was overshadowed, at least for those voters only looking at point totals.
No matter how the MVP chase pans out, the Spurs expect Wembanyama to continue to trigger the league’s most egalitarian offense.
“He’s our guy,” Keldon Johnson said. “He’s going to have the ball and he’s going to make decisions. We’ll live with the decisions he makes.”
With the first NBA postseason of Wembanyama’s career approaching later this month, nights like Monday could pay off, MVP or not.
There will come a time this spring or summer when the Spurs will need their best player to take over a playoff game. He has proven that he can.
Asked if he could envision himself taking more shots in the postseason, Wembanyama took a beat before answering.
“I could see it happening,” he said. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News