Spurs-Clippers: 5 takeaways as LA stifles Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama was held to 11 points and five rebounds in the blowout loss in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES — The Victor Wembanyama Tipoff Tour made its first LA stop and there was no need for Hollywood to turn it into a movie or documentary. No suspense, not much in terms of highlights and no plot twist.
And that was more about Wemby’s teammates than Wemby himself.
The Spurs are as advertised, a developing team filled with young players in the rotation. That’s not exactly breaking news. It is the reality, and that was evident for 48 minutes Sunday. Actually, less than that, because the contest was a rout.
“On a night like this, there’s a lot of things to correct,” said Wembanyama.
Here are five takeaways from the Clippers’ 123-83 rout of the Spurs, and the latest from the rookie that everyone came to see.
1. Wemby takes more ‘shots’ than field goals
The Clippers made it clear, right from the jump, that they would put a body, literally, on Wemby whenever the chance presented itself. This will be the norm this season by all teams: Press Wemby and see if he bends or breaks.
Russell Westbrook even challenged Wemby in the paint and tried desperately to block the 7-foot-4 center’s layup. Westbrook missed, but the audacity.
“That’s the biggest difference for him, all that physicality,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
As a result, Wemby had more turnovers (five) than buckets (four) and at times resorted to sticking on the perimeter. Overall, it wasn’t a dreadful night (11 points, five rebounds). But the Clippers have now made it tough for the league’s top two picks, with Wemby following Scoot Henderson.
“You have to be aggressive with him and you have to be physical with him,” said Robert Covington, the main defender on the rookie.
The Spurs are using Zach Collins at center to reduce Wemby’s minutes against stronger players; Collins will guard the Joel Embiids of the league. Until he gains more strength, the Spurs are mindful of the obvious, regarding Wemby. He’s just 19 and his body hasn’t matured.
2. Wemby impresses the Clippers anyway
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard spoke positively about Wembanyama, much as they did about Henderson last week. The skills, the unselfishness, the ability to protect the rim, those positives were expressed glowingly.
But no one in the Clippers’ locker room was more familiar than Nicolas Batum, Wembanyama’s French countryman. Batum first became aware when Wemby became a teenager and studied him from point-blank range ever since.
“I think he understands how to be a pro,” he said. “He’s been there for two years, now it’s about transitioning to the NBA game. He’s going to have ups and downs as a rookie but he knows who he is. He’s going to be fine.
“The physical nature of the game, he’ll get used to it and overcome it. It’s like that for everyone who comes into the league. What he’s going through right now, it won’t stay like this.”
3. Last person to know about Wemby … was Popovich
The Spurs coach revealed that, prior to this summer, he didn’t spend much time on a skinny teenager from France because, what for?
“He was playing in France, and what do I care? As things progressed for us last season and then the Draft comes, I watched some film. Then I really didn’t play attention because I didn’t think we’d get him. What was I going to do, jump into the bin with the ping pong balls? I went to sleep.
“My son-in-law awakened me and said we got the first pick. I said that’s good.”
It didn’t take Popovich long to catch up. Once Wembanyama arrived in San Antonio, the coach discovered what the fuss was about.
“A lot of these places (in the U.S.) are new to him but he’s a very inquisitive young man. He’s from Europe. They’re a lot more cultured than we are. They’re more civil than we are. They travel, speak languages.
“It’s not like he’s a dumbstruck young kid. He’s pretty worldly. This hype has gone on for a very long time. It’s old hat for him. He doesn’t even notice it.”
From Wembanyama’s perspective, when it comes to Popovich, “he just told me to be patient and focus on what’s important. He’s everything I expected and more.”
4. To rest or not?
A big moment of truth awaits the Clippers. No, not necessarily the visiting Magic on Tuesday (10:30 p.m. ET), or the Lakers on Wednesday (10 ET). But both. It’ll be the first back-to-back games for a team considered the most vulnerable to the league’s new Player Participation Policy.
In the past, Leonard normally sat one of those two games. Same, at times, for George. This summer, Clippers coach Ty Lue said the team would place more importance on the regular season, which insinuated their stars would play more often.
The first test comes this week.
What’s especially interesting is the Lakers game is a national TV game (ESPN), and the league is hypersensitive about stars missing those games. With a media rights deal coming up for renewal, the league needs to make good for its future partners.
Leonard and George are healthy. But so was the Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler, who missed the Minnesota game a few days ago. And it’s just the second week of the season. The Clippers, of all teams, can change the conversation, or heighten it. Stay tuned.
5. Spurs need to make (or find) a point
It’s early in the season and therefore everything’s up for change. But the most glaring need for the Spurs is a point guard, or at least a natural one.
That position belongs at the moment to Jeremy Sochan, the second-year player, who didn’t play it in college or full-time as a Spurs rookie. It says plenty about Sochan that Popovich would trust him with the ball and making decisions.
Here’s what’s strange: The Spurs re-signed fourth-year pro Tre Jones in the offseason, presumably to make him the starter. But Jones is coming off the bench and he had four turnovers on a night when the Spurs couldn’t protect the ball (25 turnovers).
Then there’s Devonte’ Graham, fresh off a two-game suspension for a DUI charge. His value has fallen ever since he left the Hornets for New Orleans, where he never gained traction.
Most likely, the point guard of the future, and the one that eventually bonds with Wemby, will arrive next season, either through free agency … or the lottery if the Spurs fail to reach the playoffs.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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