Victor Wembanyama: “I don’t see any reason to be frustrated”

“ Pfff… Nah, I’d say it’s the third time. » Théo Quintard just asked has Victor Wembanyama if he had felt really in trouble for the first time, in the entirety of an NBA game.

For his third match in the Big League, and unlike the matches against the Mavericks and the Rockets, the Spurs interior however never managed to get started on the Clippers floor. His two missed free throws at the start of the game heralded an evening of awkwardness for him and his team, cut up by the Californians who won by 40 points (123-83).

A physical dimension to understand

“ The good shots I took, I visualize them going into the circle. I keep my confidence by telling myself that these are good shots, that I have to take them, that they will go in. In this kind of defeat, there are a lot of bad choices. There are many things to correct “, summarizes the Frenchmanauthor of a small outing with 11 points (4/10 on shots including 0/2 from distance), 5 rebounds and 2 assists.

Overtaken on the rebound or in the paint, his team was limited to 37 points in the first period. In addition to only shooting 37.5%, the Spurs lost 25 balls which generated 34 points for their opponents. Telephoned passes towards the heart of the racket, unsteady dribbling starts… “Wemby” lost five of these balls.

Above all, he gave the feeling of having been physically jostled underneath. “ Everyone is going to be physical with him, trying to throw him off balance and that sort of thing, he has to get used to it. That’s probably the biggest difference for him, this whole physical dimension “, note on this subject Gregg Popovich. “ You have to be aggressive and physical with him », adds Robert Covington, author of notable placement work against the Frenchman.

Beyond the Wembanyama case alone, Gregg Popovich expects more toughness from his training.

Do not disunite in learning

“ Playing away is not the same as playing at home. If we start badly, we must not get carried away, we cannot lose our competitive spirit. We get our asses kicked quickly, we have to fight, stay together because the guys are starting to fall apart a little, you can see the body language… That’s the main lesson for us », Judges the technician.

A learning moment for this young team. “ We have a famous saying in San Antonio, it’s ‘Pound the rock’. This has a deep meaning, and this is how I see life, always with adversity, and sometimes difficulties. But it’s not about how difficult it will be, but how persistent we will be. It works for a whole season, but today is just the start of the season, it’s just a loss », puts Victor Wembanyama into perspective.

Nothing to be frustrated about then? He sighs, hesitates, then retorts: “ I don’t see any reason to be frustrated after three matches. The positive is that as soon as we returned to the locker room, we took a critical look at ourselves. No one lowered their heads. We learn, it’s a question of consistency. »

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.