Sometimes I don’t want to focus too much on Victor Wembanyama. Trying to capture his impact on the game feels like telling someone the ocean is vast—obvious, yet somehow inadequate. I don’t think I know enough about the mechanics of life or Basketball to really express what it is we’re looking at so, instead, I often choose to talk around him. The game is happening in the thrall of his gravitational pull and maybe if we can conjure enough little details of what’s going on in the periphery then we might be able to figure it out the shape of things. His game on Monday night didn’t really lend itself to that approach. It was something that simply couldn’t be ignored.
I’ve seen him drift through games before, floating along with just enough involvement to carry him from moment to moment. But last night? He was everywhere. Every second he spent on the court, the entire game bent around his movements. Not that he was perfect—he wasn’t. But there was an intentionality and purpose to everything he did that seemed to bring the game under his control.
Defensively, he’s almost always a force—his size and length alone make that inevitable. But last night, Domantas Sabonis clearly decided to come in and be as physical as possible with him and he rose to that challenge. He scrapped, held his ground, pushed back, and, crucially, didn’t let the physicality disrupt the rest of his game as it sometimes has before. If anything, it seemed to fuel him. He was everywhere—clogging passing lanes, closing out shooters, and grabbing every rebound in sight. The Spurs used that defensive energy to push their offense, and if this is the only kind of player he ever becomes, we’d still be thrilled.
The offensive side is what’s been shakiest in this early going. He turns it over way too much. He seems to think dribbling the ball through the knee of defenders will work if he just tries it one more time. His shot selection is more hewing more towards Dame Lillard than Hakeem Olajuwon and it’s driving everyone a little nuts.
On Monday night it seemed to be working. Obviously the outside shots were falling, but everything else seemed to be flowing a little easier because of it. He was more fluid without the ball than he’s looked all season. Maybe he’s finally finding a rhythm with Chris Paul and Stephon Castle in the pick and roll, or maybe the familiarity of Devin Vassell being back in the mix has sparked something, but last night felt different. His head was up and he was moving the ball around and the offense just felt like it finally looked more like it’s supposed to look.
It all has to flow downhill from Victor. That’s the understatement of the century, but it doesn’t make it less true. He has to be right for any of this to work so, understandably, the focus has to be on him and his development. Everyone on staff and everyone on the court has to be working constantly to let him figure out how he can work himself into games consistently. If that means taking a million ill-advised threes so that he knows what it looks like, then so be it. If that means taking his ball-handling ambitions to the absolute limit, turnover margins be damned, then so be it. He knows what comes easy to him and he’s determined to map out a way to conquer the stuff that seems hard.
I have every confidence that he’s going to crack that code and I know it’s going to be worth the wait. He’s still frustrating to watch at times, but only in the sense that you can see him on the precipice of something even better. Something we’ve never seen before. Something that’s impossible to describe because you’re unsure what it even is?
I don’t like to focus too much on Victor Wembanyama. I never quite feel like I’m doing him justice.
Takeaways:
- I’ve probably spent way more time being excited about Chris Paul being on the Spurs than I have thinking about Harrison Barnes. It’s just…you know…I mean, no offense to Harrison Barnes, but it’s Chris Paul. Narratively speaking, that’s just something that still makes my brain whirl every time I see him in Silver & Black. Harrison Barnes is certainly a basketball player. He’s been around a long time and he’s had a good career and he’s…you know…he’s Harrison Barnes. That being said! Last night felt was the first time where I really felt his presence. That 1st quarter especially, he hit a corner three and he charged down the lane for dunk and, on the whole, looked like exactly what the Spurs wanted and needed from a Harrison Barnes type player. It was cool! I’m glad he’s here! I apologize for, uh, not spending more time thinking about Harrison Barnes.
- Stephon Castle. Stephon Castle! STEPHON CASTLE!! I know it’s still early days and all that but, man, Stephon FREAKIN’ Castle! Wembayama aside, watching him adapt and grow into the game is my current favorite running plot on the Spurs. He’s so smart and he’s so good at absorbing situations and coming out the other end looking like he’s been doing this in the league for years. I’m so glad he’s getting this kind of run early on and it’s so cool to see him rising to the occasion.
- Extremely fun to see Devin Vassell heat up in the 2nd half. Rust is obviously expected coming off an injury like he had, so I was keep expectations low, but the idea of him getting up to speed a little quicker is pretty tantalizing.
- DeMar DeRozan is a strange case where my affection for him was high as a Spur and it only seems to have grown since he’s left. I just love him. I think it’s impossible to overstate how difficult of time he was having when he came to us and I think it’s impossible to overstate how difficult a time we we’re having when he came to us and I think the bond that we shared during that time ended up being pretty special. It obviously wasn’t forged in a ton of on court success, but the degree of mutual respect that has bloomed feels pretty special. Anyway, love him. Wish nothing but the best for DeMar forever and always.
WWL Post Game Press Conference
– It’s such a cool move to say that you don’t like to do something and then do it. Everyone loves that.
– Yea, I thought so. It’s like, “Oh, I couldn’t possibly have another slice of cake” right before inhaling said slice.
– So when you say you don’t like to focus on Victor…
– I love to focus on Victor. All I do is focus on him. He’s a giant. He is one of the most unique looking human beings i’ve ever seen in my entire life and his proportions don’t make sense and the things he’s doing with a basketball shouldn’t be possible and like….I mean what is anyone doing if they aren’t focusing on Victor Wembanyama? I’m baffled that people can even go about their day to day lives and get anything done.
– It is does make everything else seem pretty blah.
– Yea, like, oh, did that normally proportioned man hit a three? Cool, this impossibly giant human just did it.
– Is Victor ruining basketball?
– Should we ban Victor from Basketball? For the good of the game?
– Many people are saying this.
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