Victor Wembanyama hits Spurs for not 'holding standards' in loss after award
Yesterday at 01:24 PM
Following his first NBA Player of the Week honor, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs suffered a tough loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, 111-106. The Silver and Black held a one point lead and had the ball with a minute left in the game when they threw it away near mid court. It was an offensive error that not only led to a Tyrese Maxey go-ahead dunk on the other end, but came in a contest that saw San Antonio make plenty of mistakes on the other end.
“We didn’t hold to our standards defensively,” Wemby said.
The Spurs leading scorer again led his team in that department Monday night with 26 points. His eight blocks were two more than what all other players in the game came up with, combined.
It was an individual performance that fit right in with the 7-foot-5 center’s most recent outings.
Victor Wembanyama’s Player of the Week numbers
In two starts during the week, Wemby helped lead the Spurs to a 2-0 record with wins against the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged 36.0 points, 7 blocks, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting .525 (21-40) from the field, .478 (11-23) from beyond the arc and .833 (20-24) from the free-throw line.
Following the loss in Philadelphia, the 20-year-old Wembanyama alluded to playing well every time out.
“It’s a whole adventure that people can see on TV. That’s completely on us as professional athletes to take care of that.”
In earning the Western Conference POW award, the French phenom certainly took care of business.
On Thursday, Dec. 19 vs. Atlanta, Wembanyama posted 42 points (13-24 FG, 7-15 3FG, 9-12 FT), six rebounds, six assists, four blocks and two steals, including eight points in overtime, to help San Antonio to a 133-126 overtime win. With his seven three-pointers and four blocks, Wembanyama became the second player in NBA history to put up those numbers in game, joining former Spur Danny Green.
Two nights later, Wemby finished with 30 points (8-16 FG, 4-8 3FG, 11-12 FT), 10 blocks, seven rebounds and three assists in a 114-94 win vs. Portland. He became just the sixth player in NBA history to record a game with 30+ points and 10+ blocks. In the same game he knocked down his 200th career three-pointer, becoming the 15th fastest player in NBA history to reach the mark.
Monday night in Philadelphia he added nine rebounds and four assists to his 26 points and eight blocks – fully realizing that those numbers came in a loss.
“Every day there’s a lot of self awareness that’s needed because the Spurs are helping me as much as they can and they’re guiding me the best way they can, but at the end of the day, I’m on the court and I make the right choices and I make the wrong choices.”
For the season, the top overall pick in the 2023 draft is averaging 24.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.6 minutes per game. He currently leads the NBA in blocked shots at four per contest.
Though he played well again in Philly, including a three-pointer with 3;08 remaining to put the Spurs up by a point, the young superstar already understands the value of any awards and numbers are only as good as the outcome.
“A lot of self awareness is needed, a lot of humility (is needed) to be able to re-watch those moments in games where either you struggled or you played bad. It’s as simple as that.”
The Spurs are back in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day.
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