8 hours ago
After success against OKC
“A perfect plan”: Is Bank-Wemby also terrorizing the Knicks?
The San Antonio Spurs around their returning superstar Victor Wembanyama are in the final of the NBA Cup and want to take the final step against the New York Knicks. To achieve this, the Frenchman could come off the bench again.
Of course, he himself would have liked to play from the start, but it is all too understandable that the Spurs are being extremely careful with their talent of the century. So Wemby came off the bench for his first NBA appearance and was able to show directly on the big stage why he was considered a legitimate MVP candidate in the first weeks of the season and why the Spurs are not suddenly better than they were without him.
In his first three possessions, he collected three rebounds, tipped a missed shot into the basket and found rookie Dylan Harper for the open three-pointer from the corner. The double-digit OKC lead shrank bit by bit before only a three-point lead remained at the halftime buzzer. In his seven minutes of play in this half, the Frenchman had five points, five rebounds and an incredible plus-minus of +20.
Spurs with a “different game” through Wemby
Wemby didn’t succeed in everything. He regularly looked rusty when carrying the ball, allowed himself to be robbed of the ball too easily a few times and was initially unable to use his size to any advantage. However, the timing at which Coach Mitch Johnson threw him into the game concealed this. After the Thunder’s starting five played almost the entire first quarter, they began the second period with their usual lineup of Jalen Williams and four bench players.
Without their two starting centers, OKC was completely overwhelmed defensively with Wemby’s size. They had to send at least two players to contain him, but still had little chance on the boards, leaving the Spurs with huge holes in the offense. “It’s a different game now,” commented Dwyane Wade, who followed the game as an expert for Prime.
And not only did the game get easier offensively, but San Antonio also had completely different options defensively. Luke Kornet did a really good job at five in Wemby’s absence, but in terms of athleticism and defensive instincts, the 21-year-old is simply a completely different caliber. With the knowledge of their defensive anchor in the zone, who can make every throw difficult, the Spurs defended incredibly physically on the ball and took a lot of risks – similar to what OKC does.
Wemby could come off the bench again
In the second half his impact was even greater. He was on the field for 13:20 minutes and got better and better into his offensive rhythm. After warming up against the second guard, he now took on the starters and scored 15 of his 22 points in the decisive fourth quarter, while the rest of his team combined for 18 points. He kept looking for mismatches in the post and exploited his size advantages mercilessly. In 21 minutes of playing time, his statistics ended up with 22 points, nine rebounds and two blocks and two assists each.
“I know Vic was desperate to get out and play more, but for us it’s his long term [Gesundheit] in focus,” Spurs guard Devin Vassell commented on his coach’s strategy after the win. “I trust Mitch 100 percent. They had a perfect plan. I know they discussed this over and over again and we implemented it. As soon as Vic came in, he had exactly the impact we needed.”
This “perfect plan” could now be repeated again in the final against the Knicks. Instead of exhausting him at the start of the game, the big should be there in crunch time and bring his team the title. “It’s difficult. He wants to play. He wants to start. He wants to finish. If you give minutes somewhere, they’re missing somewhere else. We still have to think about what’s best for the team. Unfortunately, you can’t make that decision in isolation, even if it’s very important and influential. We have to make sure it fits the entire rotation – who plays with whom and how that affects others,” Johnson explained before the final.
Winning the NBA Cup would be the first success for the successful franchise since winning the championship in 2014. But the Knicks will certainly think about something to avoid falling into the same trap as the Thunder.
