The confession came from coach Mitch Johnson: “It’s going to take some time.” » After a month of absence due to a calf strain, Victor Wembanyama is gradually regaining his sensations. During a large victory over a quickly overwhelmed Washington team (119-94), Wemby was able to calmly continue his work on returning to competition, after two very intense meetings, in the semi-final then in the final of the NBA Cup.
Faced with Wizards considered to be the dunces of the competition, the Spurs quickly did the job. Once again, the statistics sheet was seriously filled and well balanced: 6 players with more than 10 points, including rookie Dylan Harper whose performances are increasingly convincing (24 points).
Victor Wembanyama took advantage of the 17 minutes he spent on the floor to do very good things (15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks). “He wants to play everything and he doesn’t have a lot of minutes,” recognizes his coach Mitch Johnson. But if we play with the right intention, we have enough offensive weapons to shine. »
Like against Oklahoma City in the NBA Cup semifinals, he didn’t play at all during the first quarter. We then saw him make two blocks… in three minutes of play in the second quarter, and make 3 assists in the same interval. From the start, he suggested that his match was going to be very complete.
Johnson: “I’m proud of him”
“Having him on the floor opens up space for all of us, because he attracts two defenders every time on him,” relishes Dylan Harper. In the second half, we saw him late on a counter-attack from his team, but he made up for it by arriving… right at the right time to crush a rebound in the circle, as if he was flying. A few minutes later, it was by crossing the floor alone that he brought the room to its feet, to finish the action with an aggressive dunk but without much demonstration, after having countered an opponent’s shot a few seconds earlier.
There is still a bit of restraint at Wemby. We had indeed left the French nugget Spurs in tears on Tuesday evening after learning of the death of his grandmother earlier in the day, before the NBA Cup final against New York. Despite everything, he insisted on participating in the match, which ended in a defeat (124-113). “I’m proud of the way he went through this ordeal and was able to share it with the group,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. The emotion he showed, and his lack of emotion during the match, is a typical response of a human being trying to stay calm and collected. »
Wemby finished the match against Washington on the bench, but for reasons other than managing his playing time: the lead was so large that Johnson brought out all the starters a few minutes from the end.
For their part, the “Frenchies” of Washington have experienced varying fortunes. Alexandre Sarr confirmed his excellent start to the season by being present offensively (18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists). Bilal Coulibaly was much more discreet (3 points, 4 rebounds).
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