In the aftermath of a brutal defeat at home, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama isn’t feeling any sense of panic. While other young stars might give up or try more fringe tactics, Wemby will trust his training to help the Spurs bounce back in Game 2 on Friday.
In the post-game chat with reporters, he denied feeling worried about the series while pointing to recent history as evidence for why you should never count his team out.
“We’ve been down in a series before, never in the Finals, obviously, but I’m not kicking myself about anything really. I mean, I’m not worried in the slightest,” said Victor, via Tom Petrini.
Despite his team being held to 95 points on 36.0% shooting, Victor seemingly played off the Knicks as a serious threat after scoring 26 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and three blocks on 28.6% shooting from the field and 22.2% shooting from three. Instead of hinting at an adjustment or gameplay strategy, he simply explained that the defeat was mostly a result of their own mistakes.
“It’s not like I have anything to figure out,” Wemby added. “It’s almost like I have to be normal, not even good… It’s like just doing the right things is enough… When we shoot ourselves in the foot, this is why I’m not worried. We’re going to be so much better, I’m going to be so much better.”
The first game is important to every series, but it’s certainly far from the deciding factor. Keep in mind that the Spurs lost Game 1 vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves before coming back to win the series in six. This could easily be another example of that outcome, and Wembanyama expects a better showing in Game 2 on Friday.
“No, of course not,” said Victor on his performance. “I agree with the coach. Every team guards differently, I’m gonna figure it out. I was bad tonight, it’s not more complicated than that.”
It’s back to the drawing board for Victor and the Spurs, and we can guess they will look to make multiple adjustments to respond. Fortunately, with a full day off before the next game, San Antonio will have time to meet with their staff, including the iconic Gregg Popovich, to develop a game plan that best leverages the team’s strengths.
The first order of business will be finding someone to deal with Jalen Brunson. He went off in tonight’s game with 30 points, three rebounds, and two assists on 38.7% shooting, including timely buckets in the clutch. Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell are the best hope of containing Jalen, but they may want to try limiting his touches to make an even smaller impact on the game.
Ultimately, only time will tell what adjustments the Spurs make this series, but we’ve seen enough to know that they are capable of a big response. Of course, if Victor’s reaction is anything to go by, the Spurs still have a lot of confidence in their chances of winning. They have faced a lot of adversity already, and there’s still so much time to swing the momentum back in their favor.
