Wemby Watch: Victor’s Laziness Shows in Lakers Loss + State of the Spurs

While I wasn’t able to watch the entire game, what I did see reinforced a concerning pattern in Victor Wembanyama’s play.

A recurring theme I’ve noticed is Wembanyama’s lack of discipline and effort on the court, which was particularly evident against the Lakers.

We’ve seen it with him settling for three pointers rather than establishing himself as a constant inside. And we also consistently see Victor’s laziness on defense and rebounds.

There were too many times where I looked at Victor on the outside of Anthony Davis on defense. He’s supposed to be on the inside as an obstacle and to box out and corral rebounds, but he’s continually on the outside.

And part of this is because Victor has become accustom to simply out-talling opponents and overcoming his lack of position, but his length alone isn’t enough for him to succeed in the NBA. Sure, it works some of the time, but this is a horrible habit.

As I noted in my previous Wemby Watch during the Warriors game:

One play Victor stupidly lunged towards whoever had the ball (maybe Steph) and whoever had the ball just passed to Trayce Jackson-Davis for a free layup. That was a stupid, stupid play by Victor. More discipline is desperately needed.

He made another obviously bad lunge for a steal against Lebron, in the backcourt, that led to a Lakers fast break without him in the play.

All too often, he makes a play on the ball, only to take himself completely out of the ball and leave the Spurs defense at a significant disadvantage.

There needs to be more discipline. The 3% chance steal-lunges need to be taken out of his game completely.

I’ll leave it there for the Lakers game, but let’s talk state of the Spurs in general.

While the Spurs just notched another victory against the Jazz (it feels like they’ve played them six times), bringing their win streak to 4 and pushing them to 10–8, there’s still more ceiling to reach. Their record is respectable, especially given Sochan and Vassell’s absences, but the Spurs are still capable of advancing.

Beyond Wembanyama’s low IQ and lazy play referenced above, the rhino in the room is that we’re not seeing the same flashes of dominance that marked his rookie season. He’s become just another guy on offense, deferring to teammates and passing up advantage shots. The current version of Victor isn’t a #1 who will lead a championship squad. This isn’t about experience or shot-making — it’s about mentality and approach. He’s not establishing himself as an alpha.

The Spurs’ rise depends on Wembanyama becoming that dominant offensive force who creates opportunities for his teammates. Instead, he’s trying to skip straight to his teammates playing off him, but we’re still missing the essential piece: Victor torturing opponents.

Even still, the Spurs are playing good enough to win basketball games. Stephon Castle being way ahead of schedule has propelled the Spurs to be even better despite no Devin and no Jeremy.

Chris Paul has contributed significantly too, not just with solid play, but by being a coach and leader who gets his younger teammates in order and teaches them how to play. Harrison Barnes deserves credit for being a strong contributor in the majority of games. Along with Castle, he’s stepped up exactly as the Spurs hoped he would.

Also, Mitch Johnson has been a refreshing switch from Gregg Popovich. It’s great to have a coach who’s coaching with something to prove every game vs. a coach who literally isn’t affected one way or another. Yes, we still see familiar mistakes with Johnson on the sidelines, but even if Johnson ends up as the coach for the rest of the season, it’s a real net plus for the Spurs.

At 10–9, with some wins against the best in the West, the Spurs are in a good spot. Jeremy should be back in a month and Victor’s likely playing near his floor. And while Wemby’s floor is still very good, it’s not enough.

Watching him be so chummy with opponents pre and post game shows he’s imbibed some of the loose NBA relaxed “we’re all friends” culture, but he just needs something to reset him again and realize that he had something in his rookie season that he doesn’t have now.

The prescription: He needs to watch unlimited Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan footage. Interviews, games, speeches, anything.