Wemby Watch: Passive Spurs Lose to Sharpened Washington Wizards

Story of the Game

The Spurs had this game at multiple junctures and blew it. Victor Wembanyama carries a large share of the blame as he led the Spurs into a more passive style of play.

The downfall began after the Spurs had built a big lead early in the second quarter.

The Wizards came back and the Spurs pushed them away, but the Wizards kept refusing to fold and ultimately Washington’s refusal to break lead to the Spurs folding.

New Wizards interim coach Brian Keefe appeared to have the team’s attention as they played with purpose.

Pop coached to win, but the Spurs team took on Victor Wembanyama’s laissez-faire approach and tried to not lose rather than going out and definitively winning the game.

Victor Stats

22 points, 4 assists, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks in 31 minutes

9–20 fgs, 0–5 3 fgs

Quick Thoughts

I had this game circled as a third win in a row on my calendar. The problem was the Spurs chalked up the W early as well.

Although Victor’s stats look fair — and he did have several great moments — his overall course of play bothered me.

I didn’t see the guy who at times looks like a jaguar ripping open a carcass. I saw a guy who let Marvin Bagley dictate where he was going to be on the court and what shots he was going to take.

I think this weakness began to seep into Victor’s subconscious in the 2nd quarter when the Spurs were rolling. My theory is Victor thought he was going to start involving his teammates even more rather than looking to be aggressive himself.

Whatever the case, once Wemby started deferring, he lost most of his aggression and play devolved from there.

One problem is Victor looks insistent on shooting the three. He had some success last game, but nothing was falling from long range this game and he finished 0–5 from deep.

Victor must realize that when he’s shooting threes, the defense is winning the possession at a high percentage.

Threes are fine, but only when well-placed within the offense and not as a first resort; defenses love when Victor lets them off the hook.

I still think Victor finds himself with the ball beyond the arc way too often within the Spurs offense.

Overall, Victor still had some excellent passes and great buckets, but with the loss, I’m focusing on the negative.

Other notes from the game:

• Bilal Coulibaly continues to look good. This guy might turn into an All-Star. It would have been such a haul if the Spurs traded for him (or to draft him) on draft night. He’s talented and Victor’s friend.
• The Wizards actually looked sharper and more determined this game vs. last. Sure, the Spurs got comfortable and lost a game they could have won, but the Wizards play is what landed the Spurs in trouble.

Also, I see backup puzzle pieces coming together with Dominick Barlow and Blake Wesley.

Barlow tries hard, plays smart, and knows his role. He had 5 assists including some forward thinking passes that your average backup big man wouldn’t think to make.

Barlow’s probably a below average athlete and he’s only 6'9 but I really like the idea of this guy as an option off the bench.

Also, Blake Wesley’s eager effort and lightning speed create a lot of problems for opposing guards who have become accustomed to everyone going with their flow.

I recall in the Hornets game, Wesley gave LaMelo so much trouble that Melo opted to let someone else bring up the ball so he didn’t have to deal with the harassment.

For this reason alone, I like Wesley.

You’ve heard of instant offense, how about instant defense.

This game wasn’t exactly it but there was definitely an element of “too cool” to it where the Spurs started feeling superior and like they didn’t have to go get the win.

It’s bad when any team does it, but a 10–36 team should never let up at any point in a contest when the outcome is up in the air.

The Spurs did and at the end, when the Wizards finally caught up, you could see multiple individuals tighten up, including Victor.

This is the first time I’ve seen Victor look tentative in any pressure situation.

Has the tank been abandoned?

Just like the previous two games, I saw no attempt from Pop at maneuvering the Spurs towards a disadvantage.

Even though this game was another loss, I continue to see encouraging signs. One bright spot from this game is the Spurs had at least one possession where there were two good passes back-to-back, leading to an intial good shot and an even better secondary shot.

If the Spurs continue to push forward like they have been, 30 wins is definitely on the table.

Pre-game Setup

The Washington-Spurs matchup is game #47 for the Spurs.

Betting: Spurs -3.5, Over/Under 240.0

(Guess-Prediction: I’ll take the Spurs and the over.)

Betting Record going into the game 34–29–1.

The Wizards are in San Antonio for this contest.