San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich wasn’t interested in talking about the flaws in Victor Wembanyama’s game after their 120-104 win over the Miami Heat.
Reporter: “We saw Victor Wembanyama do a lot of things in attack and defense. Where are his flaws?”
Popovich: “Where are what?”
Reporter: “The flaws in his game.”
Popovich: “I don’t talk bad about my players.”
Reporter: “We saw Victor Wembanyama do a lot of things in attack and defense. Where are his flaws?”
Popovich: “Where are what?”
Reporter: “The flaws in his game.”
Pop: “I don't talk bad about my players.”
(h/t @NBAdabad) pic.twitter.com/DMHg7MboF9
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 14, 2023
That was a bit of an oddly phrased question. Maybe the reporter could have gotten an answer out of Popovich if he’d just asked the areas where Wembanyama can improve a lot instead of what his flaws are.
Popovich was never going to answer a question like that, especially after the 19-year-old played so well against the Heat. Wembanyama followed up a fine showing in his first preseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks on Friday night.
Popovich would have been quite pleased with what he saw from the youngster, and the future looks so much brighter in San Antonio than it did this time last year.
Victor Wembanyama Felt Good After Getting Yelled At By Gregg Popovich
While Popovich isn’t going to talk negatively about his players in public, he is going to be hard on them behind the scenes. Not long after he was drafted, Wembanyama spoke about training with Popovich and stated he was surprised he hadn’t gotten yelled at. He didn’t have to wait too long for it to happen, though, but is happy it did.
“Yeah, it came later than I expected but yeah, finally,” Wembanyama said. “I’m glad he yelled at me.”
(starts at 0:29 mark):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyHVXXB1u7c
Popovich was known for his tough love in the first half of his career, and while he has mellowed down now, the yelling hasn’t completely gone away just yet. It’s good that Wembanyama isn’t taking any offense to it. He knows Popovich has his best interests in mind, and he’ll only get better learning under the 74-year-old.
Victor Wembanyama On The Kind Of Relationship He Wants From Gregg Popovich
There was some talk when the Spurs got the first pick of the draft, that their head coach and star prospect would start to clash. Skip Bayless even predicted that Popovich would start beefing with Wembanyama.
There doesn’t seem to be any indication of that early on, and you doubt there will be any issues based on Wembanyama’s comments on the kind of relationship he wants from Popovich.
“Honest relationship,” Wembanyama said. “I’ve had coaches who didn’t always tell me the truth and I hated that. I’m confident that when I get the chance to get coached by coach Popovich, he doesn’t lie to his players. He tells the truth. Sometimes it’s harsh, it’s hard, but this is what I want.”
It is going to be harsh at times and Wembanyama wants that. He doesn’t like his head coach to sugarcoat things and wants them to keep it real with him. The Frenchman does seem like a superstar who is a coach’s dream when you hear him speak, and he and Popovich might just be a match made in heaven. There will be some bumps in the road, but I expect this to be a successful partnership.
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