Victor Wembanyama is remaining optimistic about his improvement regardless of one other difficult outing within the new NBA season, after the San Antonio Spurs fell 118-116 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night time.
“Personally, I haven’t seen this sort of protection from groups,” Wembanyama mentioned. “So we have to adapt as a collective. Within the Phoenix recreation, it was the case as nicely. We received stalled out typically. We’re studying.”
Simply three days after the Phoenix Suns handed the Spurs their first lack of the season, the Lakers adopted the same defensive plan.
In opposition to Phoenix, Wembanyama managed simply 9 factors with six turnovers. On Wednesday, Los Angeles once more contained him, holding the 21-year-old to 19 factors on 5-of-14 capturing, whereas forcing 5 turnovers earlier than he fouled out with 1:40 remaining.
Harrison Barnes and Jeremy Sochan additionally fouled out within the remaining minutes as San Antonio struggled to keep up its late lead.
The Spurs have been up by 12 with 1:26 left within the third quarter however faltered down the stretch, capturing simply 1-for-12 within the fourth.
With 0.2 seconds left, Julian Champagnie missed the primary of two free throws that might have tied the sport, then deliberately missed the second. Keldon Johnson’s tip-in try got here up brief, sealing the Spurs’ second consecutive defeat.
Phoenix and Los Angeles each crowded Wembanyama with early double-teams, denying him clear touches close to the rim.
“Principally, it was the doubling,” Wembanyama mentioned. “They have been prepared. They in all probability walked in shootaround by all our conditions as a result of it appeared like they have been very prepared. It felt like they let me catch the ball, however they have been able to double to rotate after that.”
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson backed his younger star, saying the workforce wants to regulate its method to assist him discover higher scoring positions.
“We have to get him the ball in higher spots. We have to get to our beginning spots earlier.
“He must be extra demonstrative and demand the ball. When he doesn’t, he ought to yell at everyone within the fitness center, together with his teammates and myself, and he’ll be wonderful.”
Regardless of foul bother, Wembanyama led the workforce in scoring, with 12 of his 19 factors coming within the second half, eight from the free-throw line. Each Spurs starter scored a minimum of 14 factors, and the bench outscored the Lakers’ reserves 38-21.
Confidence within the Course of
Guard Stephon Citadel mentioned the workforce merely misplaced focus within the second half however stays assured in Wembanyama’s capacity to reply.
“We had a tough second half,” Citadel mentioned. “We had a lead. We slipped up and allow them to get again within the recreation with some free throws. Vic can get proper again on monitor. He works laborious. He has the appropriate mindset. He will get it, and he’ll determine it out.”
Wembanyama echoed that sentiment, saying that learning movie and studying from these challenges are a part of his progress.
“There’s no fear, actually,” he mentioned. “As we’ve gotten higher as a workforce and received higher individually as nicely, it’s just like the opponents have stepped up in some methods defensively. I really feel in a method that the sport feels quick proper now. We’re going to make amends for it, in fact.
“It seems like groups are very ready from earlier schemes defensively coming into video games towards us. After we’re on the courtroom, we have to face these sorts of defenses. It’s going to make us significantly better actually fast.”
