2023-12-15 07:30:24
After a while, it will start to show. Victor Wembanyama is far too alone in this team. The final seconds, played without him due to a sixth foul, did not show the opposite. The Spurs lost for the 18th time in a row, against the Los Angeles Lakers (119-122), despite being deprived of their star LeBron James, who had to withdraw after the warm-up due to back pain. The two teams will have the opportunity to compete again this Friday evening, at the same place.
Will Wembanyama be as sparkling as last night? Once again, the Frenchman made his statistics sheet shine: 30 points, a bar crossed for the second time this season, but also 13 rebounds and 6 blocks. He is the only one on his team to be consistent in his performances. Above all, he brought the team back almost single-handedly in the fourth quarter, making two three-point baskets in the last 90 seconds.
The only downside: the decisive free throw which he then missed and which would have allowed his team to return to a tie, with around twenty seconds left to play. Wemby supported the comparison against “AD”, Anthony Davis, one of the stars of the NBA, an eight-time All-Star.
For the Spurs, everything revolves around the Frenchman and it was again to him that the match point returned, at 116-119 and 17 seconds to play. His three-point attempt failed against the circle and the Frenchman’s leg hit that of opposing defender, Cam Reddish. The referees awarded the foul to Wemby, his 6th of the match, and thus sent him to the bench. “The first game option was me at 3 points,” he explained after the meeting. If I couldn’t shoot, I had to give it to Devin (Vassell). This option could have worked, it was the right thing to do. »
“If we are less efficient, we must be more aggressive”
It’s hard to blame the Frenchman: he struggled all over the floor and some of his highlights seem almost unbelievable, countering on one side of the pitch, scoring on the other, active both offensively and defensively and communicating to his partners his aggressiveness and the intensity of his game.
“In the second half, we finally took care of the ball, we showed more intensity,” he said. It has nothing to do with talent, it’s just about playing hard and playing smart. In the first half, we had none of that. The Lakers made unacceptable baskets, which we highlighted on the video in the morning. We are young, and if we are less efficient on shots, we must be more aggressive and make more effort than the opponent. »
In the stands, spectators sometimes wonder why their Spurs are not able to maintain this level of intensity throughout the match. “It’s not that easy, it’s not even easy at all,” replies Victor Wembanyama. Even us, sometimes while watching the videos, we say to ourselves that we need to be like that more often. But then we’re on the floor, and we have to improvise. The positive thing is that we are improving and we are on the right path. »
Wembanyama is even on the royal road. In the fictitious ranking of the race for the title of Rookie of the Year (best young player), he has also regained first place, ahead of his rival from Oklahoma City, Chet Holmgren. “I’ve been trying for a few games to concentrate on rebounds and being solid for the team,” he explains, while he has been placed in the pivot position for three games. A position where his large size (2.22 m) gives him the advantage, in the middle of everyone, and which accentuates the impression of seeing him a little alone in the world in this team.
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