It seems one of Victor Wembanyama's primary missions in the NBA is to try and best the OKC Thunder and their players in every way he can.
From trying to catapult himself above Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the 2026 MVP race to the perceived importance of specifically besting them in a best-of-seven playoff series, the Spurs star has been quite public about his desire to leapfrog seemingly everyone on Oklahoma City's roster as top dog.
However, despite his best efforts, he's yet to surpass both stars and role players alike in a multitude of areas. Per ESPN's Zach Kram, he hasn't even passed veteran Alex Caruso in the on-off net rating department.
Thunder role player leads rival superstar Wemby in high impact stat
Kram's findings show that the Spurs boasted a plus-17.0 net rating when Wembanyama was on the floor this past season, the second-best mark among all rotation players in the league.
Though this rank is without question enviable, it's more likely than not that someone as competitive as Wemby is unhappy with falling second in this pecking order, especially when considering he trails a mere role player on the Thunder in Caruso.
Among OKC fans, it's always been well understood just how impactful AC is when on the hardwood.
Behind elite defensive skills that allow him to square off against guards and, yes, even bigs alike, and an impressive ability to raise his level of play when the pressure is at its highest, Caruso is widely regarded as a true game-changer for the Thunder.
However, this belief is clearly not just bias among the club's faithful followers, as it's supported by the advanced metrics as well.
This past season, Caruso led the entire league in on-court net rating, per Kram.
Such a statistic measures a team's point differential per 100 possessions while a particular player is on the hardwood.
Considering the Thunder wrapped up with both the best record and top point differential in the entire association in 2025-26, the fact that five of the top-six individuals in on-court net rating resided in OKC should come as no surprise to anyone.
However, what's exciting to see is Caruso, not superstar SGA or All-NBA big man Chet Holmgren, is the one who is not only keeping Wembanyama from claiming yet another top-flight impact stat, but is leading the charge among the rest of the rotation players strewn across the NBA.
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