Times are tough for Victor Wembanyama. The Frenchman from the San Antonio Spurs suffered a lot again last night, during a narrow defeat at the Los Angeles Lakers (118-116). Not very successful, he totaled 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block. With only 35% shooting, a very low percentage, while he only attempted two shots from distance (zero success).
Wemby started well, dominating his opponent Deandre Ayton and frightening all the opposing shooters, but he did not finish the match: he was sent off for a sixth foul in the last two minutes. His trainer, Mitch Johnson, asked for a challenge (a video check) but it was purely for form: everyone had clearly seen the shoulder blow in the chest of his opponent, Rui Hachimura. Victor Wembanyama let out an expletive as he returned to his sidelines, and Hachimura, all smiles, got up with a hand sign that was interpreted as “mission accomplished”.
The entire meeting, the Lakers tried to make it difficult for the Frenchman. Impressive in the first five games of the season, Wemby is now getting the big-time treatment! Two players constantly on him, constant aggression, and incessant targeting to make him make mistakes or fumble his basketball: the NBA decided to pull out all the stops to prevent him from exploiting all his talent.
“Expectations are higher”
Like three days ago in Phoenix, Los Angeles has apparently found the recipe. Will Victor Wembanyama, who gradually came out of his match making mistakes and losing lucidity, be able to find a solution? Perhaps he also suffers from a little physical weakness. He seems less fit than at the start of the season. The day before the match he declared that “expectations are much higher this year, and that implies concentration which generates a lot of fatigue”.
The Spurs will need him: protected in the heart of the fourth quarter to avoid a sixth foul, he saw the Lakers make a mistake in the racket from the sidelines. Before returning for a short time and finally receiving that sixth foul that sent him out for good.
The Spurs led by around ten points for a long time but exploded when the Lakers increased the intensity. San Antonio could even have snatched an extension in a rather improbable way, in the final seconds, but Julian Champagnie missed his two free throws.
On the other side, Luka Doncic wreaked havoc: 35 points, 13 assists, 9 rebounds and a permanent danger. At the end of the match, he paid tribute to Wemby: “He is very difficult to analyze,” said the Slovenian player. Regardless of his size, he’s amazing, I have a lot of respect for him. These are fun matches to play against him. »
Doncic also reached all five fouls in the heart of the second half. He knew how to manage this danger perfectly to finish the match. The price of experience. On this point too, Wemby’s learning continues.
