Victor Wembanyama had a night to forget against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, as he put up just six points, eight rebounds, two assists, and three blocks in the San Antonio Spurs‘ 93-105 loss. This game marks the lowest points total Wembanyama has ever had in an NBA game, beating his previous low of seven points from last December against the Bulls.
It was a really poor showing from Wemby, who wasn’t able to keep up with Chet Holmgreen and the Thunder’s stringent defense. During the game, Wembanyama shot just 1-5 from the field and went a disappointing 0-3 from beyond the arc. He scored half of his eight points at the stripe, going 4-4 from the free-throw line.
Wembanyama also had a hard time keeping hold of the ball, as he turned the ball over four times during the game. It is clear that the Thunder understood just how to isolate Wemby during the game, and force him into making mistakes, whether that be giving up the ball, or just taking difficult shots.
Things were so bad for Wembanyama that he didn’t even take a shot in the second half of the game, as Holmgren and the Thunder’s defense took a mental toll on him.
This game would have been a little bit of redemption for Chet Holmgren. Last season, Holmgren and Wembanyama were embroiled in a heated battle for Rookie of the Year. Wemby got the better of Holmgreen every time they played, and in the overall race, as he won the 2024 Rookie of the Year award.
It was astonishing to see Wembanyama, a player who had wowed so many NBA fans with his consistence performance and sustained excellence, struggle against the Thunder. While there is no doubt that the Thunder are one of the best teams in the NBA right now, being able to stop Wemby is something most teams in the league struggle with, regardless of how good they are.
Victor Wembanyama Must Bounce Back
It is imperative that Victor Wembanyama doesn’t take this loss too hard and bounces back the next game. An outing like this can really kill a player’s confidence, and Wembanyama must make sure that he doesn’t fall into that trap. For Wemby, this was a bad game, but that’s all he should treat it as.
Wembanyama, despite the shoddy outing last night, has started the season decently, averaging 16.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.0 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game. These types of poor games tend to come when you’re at the beginning of your career, and Wemby must remind himself that he is a great player.
Perhaps this poor outing coming so early in the season is a good thing, as it gives Wembanyama a chance to understand his flaws and see where he needs to make improvements in his game, and how to better prepare for the next time he and the Spurs play against Chet and the Thunder.
Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs next play tonight against the Utah Jazz. Hopefully, Wembanyama can recover his form with a good performance in that game.
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