With 21 points at 7/12 shooting, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, we cannot say that Victor Wembanyama had a bad game after three quarters. But the pressure from Domantas Sabonis on his ball catches bothered him, and his four “turnovers”, some of which were very avoidable, had visibly annoyed his coach, Mitch Johnson.
“I found that he had very poor moments in the first three quarters, in terms of basics and solid basketball” the interim coach bluntly blurted out.
But as he explained recently, “Wemby” learns to use a “switch”, which he activates to concentrate even more in key moments. And that's what he did in a fourth quarter that he dominated, with 13 points on 4/5 shooting and 5/6 on free throws, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks!
Spurs now solid in the clutch
“It’s proof of who he is, and his ability to concentrate, because he was great in the fourth quarter” continues Mitch Johnson. “He was dominant. He's so good but when he dominates the bases: catching balls well, making good passes, doing everything solid, it's always spectacular. »
Asked about his coach's statement, the Frenchman explains that he is learning to use the lessons of the first half to shine better in the second.
Enough to allow him to be at his best level in the “money-time”, by using the Kings’ defensive “switches” perfectly and reading the assists well, and for the Spurs to be in the right car (11 victories – 9 losses) in the West by being one of the best teams in the clutch this season, with five wins for three losses in matches where the gap was less than five points in the last five minutes.
Because it must be remembered that last year, San Antonio was one of the worst teams in these situations, only the Wizards and the Pistons doing worse, having won only 13 of its 41 games which were played in the “money-time”…
| Victor Wembanyama | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2023-24 | SAN | 71 | 30 | 46.5 | 32.5 | 79.6 | 2.3 | 8.4 | 10.6 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 21.4 |
| 2024-25 | SAN | 16 | 32 | 47.4 | 33.8 | 86.8 | 2.1 | 7.9 | 10.0 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 23.4 |
| Total | 87 | 30 | 46.7 | 32.8 | 80.5 | 2.2 | 8.3 | 10.5 | 3.7 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 21.8 | |
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.
