Leave it to the Miami Heat to try something nobody expects: throwing Davion Mitchell, a 6-foot-1 guard, on Victor Wembanyama and living with the results. Former coach Steve Jones spotlighted the look on X, noting how the small-on-big switch can bother Wembanyama when he doesn’t get deep catches.

The internet did the rest, flooding timelines with clips and quips about Mitchell stonewalling the 7-foot-4 star,  “Mitchell is so small and strong that Wemby can’t back him down cuz of his center of gravity so he has to shoot,” one fan wrote.

While another stated, “Vassell has to swing that ball back to Wemby with 6’1 Davion Mitchell guarding him. Bad shot that turned into a Bam 3.”

Zoom out to the game itself, and you can see why the tactic got traction. Although Miami is trailing the San Antonio Spurs, going into the fourth quarter, Wembanyama has been relatively quiet with 20 points, 17 rebounds, and five assists in 31 minutes, plus two blocks, but also three turnovers. That’s a solid line, yet not the steamroll we’ve seen when he buries defenders on the block. The Heat mixed coverages, fronted the post, and, yes, toggled Mitchell onto him to test his handle and balance before the catch. 

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Mitchell did more than defend. He steadied Miami’s second unit with 11 points and three assists in 23 minutes. Simone Fontecchio
supplied the scoring punch off the bench with 15 points, and Bam Adebayo led the team with 22 points. San Antonio countered with a committee approach: Stephon Castle had 19 points, Dylan Harper added 13, and Devin Vassell chipped in 14. 

Fans noticed the chess match in real time. “Vassell has to swing that ball back to Wemby with 6-foot-1 Davion Mitchell guarding him,” one post read, calling out a possession that turned into a Heat three the other way. Another message went full conspiracy about whistles after Mitchell’s physical defense, “Refs saw Davion Mitchell locking up Victor Wembanyama and said, ‘Let's get him out of the game,' evil refs bro Wemby vs Davion would've fed families.”

Will Miami keep this in the bag for when the games count? Erik Spoelstra’s group loves guard-fronting and late help against unicorn bigs, and Mitchell’s low center of gravity gives them a different tool than Bam Adebayo’s switch-everything strength. It won’t erase Wembanyama, nothing does, but it can tilt a few possessions, change his catches, and buy time for help. For a team that wins on edges, that’s worth bookmarking.