LAS VEGAS — When a sweaty Victor Wembanyama sat on the Spurs bench after playing the first three-and-a-half minutes of the game in a month, a meeting with a championship team that had previously seemed out of reach suddenly seemed out of reach.
If the first quarter of Saturday night’s semifinals recalled the Oklahoma City Thunder’s months-long 24-1 reign of terror, the second quarter recalled France’s refusal to surrender.
advertise
His introduction to the game – coming off the bench for the first time in his career – changed everything. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been in friendly skies since October and now has 7-foot-5 turbulence. For the Spurs, the missed shot was a simple second chance for the lanky center. Oklahoma City’s half-court game that usually runs in its sleep was now in question – with Wembunyama altering, blocking and eliminating shots.
His early performances also translated into goal scoring. The 11-point lead was reduced to four points. The 16-point lead was reduced to three points in a matter of minutes. When the halftime buzzer sounded, Vunbanyama had a commanding lead in plus-minus (+20) despite playing just seven minutes.
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of Wembunyama’s first-half performance. “I thought he did a great job of impacting the game without having to score. He was aggressive, he wanted to make plays with the basketball in his hand, but I thought he did a great job of impacting the game without having to score, especially in the second quarter as you mentioned.”
When the final five minutes of regulation arrived, behind a passionate crowd at T-Mobile Arena, the Spurs, those feisty, pesky Spurs who weren’t supposed to be here, understood the task. As long as Wembanyama is present, faith and confidence will sprout. His previous 12-game absence thrust the team into unknown territory, forcing them to survive – and they responded by commanding the wave, winning nine of those games.
advertise
So while Vunbanyama’s impact has been limited to playing time — a combination of calf strain management and the NBA’s new 65-game rule for awards — his teammates are ready to pick up the slack when he can’t. The trio of De’Aaron Fox, Stephen Castle and Devin Vassell scored 67 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, which is enough to shoulder this important task. When Wembanyama sent thunder into the night, he did so with aplomb. Against the defending champion, he scored 15 points in the fourth quarter. Played 21 minutes, scored 22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal. The 16-game winning streak was ended. The hero returns. A statement was made.
“It’s unbelievable,” Wembanyama said. “I’ve been asking these guys the last 12 games to get better and do good things. I just want to be a part of that. I’m glad we can still do that while I’m here, and of course I’m happy about that. But I’m excited to be a part of something that’s becoming such a beautiful pure and ethical basketball.”
On this glorious night, the Thunder looked less like the most destructive team in the sport and more like a team that had forgotten how influential Wembunyama really was. So while it’s important for the Spurs to advance to the NBA Cup Finals, it’s equally important to understand what the San Antonio Spurs can actually do with a fully healthy team. Saturday night was the first time all season that the Spurs had all of their rotation contributors on the court, which should be scary to the rest of the NBA considering what they’ve accomplished on the national stage.
Johnson’s ability to navigate terrain without Wembanya is admirable and an ode to the depth and roster construction that general manager Brian Wright oversaw last summer. However, despite the Spurs’ offense ranking ninth in the league since mid-November, the Spurs’ defense ranks fifth-worst in the league, allowing 122.6 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass, and there’s little hope for continued success.
advertise
With Wembanyama back in the middle, the defensive identity Spurs established a few months ago can realign themselves. The Spurs have scored just 106.5 points per 100 possessions in Wembanyama’s time on the court, which ironically ranks second in the NBA behind the Thunder. But it’s not just What Here’s what Spurs do when Womby is on the pitch how They did it. According to Cleaning the Glass, opponents are taking nearly 9 percent fewer shots at the basket and 5 percent fewer shots from below the free throw line, to 99 percent and 98 percent, respectively. These rivals saw their conversion rates in these areas drop by more than ten percent, again to 98% and 99%. A seismic style shift like this cannot be underestimated, either in the vaunted Western Conference or across the league. In other words, welcome back, Wimpy.
“I think we’re on the right path,” Wembanyama said. “This is the first time in my career that we’re winning more than we’re losing. So it’s nice because – it doesn’t feel normal when we lose, but unfortunately it’s something we have to go through. We’ll go through it again in the future if we need to, but we’re winning a lot more than we’re losing right now, so we’re all where we like and we’re all where we want to be.”
advertise
The Spurs (18-7) are currently in fourth place, just 0.5 games behind the second-seeded Denver Nuggets. The San Antonio Spurs have the third-highest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon, especially with two more games against Oklahoma City this month, as well as games against Cleveland and New York. But this group is imbued from top to bottom with an infectious confidence, a youthful ignorance, if you will, that gives them an edge. Wembunyama will certainly have more confidence in his teammates as he will be able to witness their performance from the best seats in the stadium. Fox, Vassell and Castle have proven they can keep the offense going, with the Spurs scoring a whopping 117.3 points per 100 possessions when the three share the floor and leading the league in pace rating of 105.7, according to NBA.com tracking.
“I think we’re excited to recognize Victor as the face of our franchise and the biggest piece of our puzzle,” Johnson said. “But he’s not an enigma himself, and he doesn’t want to be an enigma, and we’re a team, we’re a community.”
“It’s just experience,” Wembanyama added. “We’re just figuring it out. Because of this Thunder team, they’re not only No. 1 in the league, they’re way ahead of everyone. They enjoy the little things that allow them to win, and that’s the next step we have to take.”
