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Less than a week after – and in their first outing since – Victor Wembanyama hit a last-minute three-pointer to win a game, the San Antonio Spurs turned to their generational talent late in Friday's game at the Portland Trail Blazers. Again, he delivered.
“I came to the bench when it was a tied game after Jerami Grant made that layup. I said ‘It's time for you to send them home.' And he did exactly that,” Devin Vassell shared.
With 6.1 seconds left and the contest knotted at 106, the Spurs gave it to Wemby at the top of free throw line.
“Mitch [Johnson] drew up that play. It just went as planned. If it wasn't a foul, it was a bucket,” Wembanyama said matter-of-factly.
“I think we all knew who was getting the ball, Vassell continued. “As long as we continue to instill confidence into Vic and I know he has the utmost confidence in himself, that's a shot we're going to live with and that's a shot we're going to go with nine times out of ten, ten times out of ten, eleven times out of ten.”
San Antonio's leading scorer knocked down both shots at the charity stripe with 2.4 ticks showing on the clock to essentially win it after Portland's last-second heave from beyond half court missed.
“I'm excited that we got this win and it was a big confidence boost for everybody” Vassell concluded.
Victor Wembanyama and late-game intricacies
In breaking down how at just the age of 20 the 7-fot-5 big man is already become a reliable go-to player in big moments, it starts with the obvious skill set.
“His poise, his physicality, composure, fundamentals. I think all those things played a part in it,” acting head coach Mitch Johnson said when talking about Wembanyama's demeanor, “I think that will be a part of his game that we continue to want to grow. And when he does that, he's going to be that much tougher to guard.”
Last season's unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year is gaining a reputation for playing his best in big moments – either because of high-profile match-ups (last year Wemby had standout performances vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Chet Holmgren and Nikola Jokic) or in the fourth quarters of games that are competitive.
“I think they did a good job of being physical and taking their time, especially Victor,” Johnson answered when asked about his star center and Vassell, who also hit some big shots in the 118-116 victory vs. the Blazers.
Wembanyama is averaging 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.6 bl0cks, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game this season. While his rebounds, blocks and assists are a shade down from a year ago, his steals average is identical and he's getting almost two and a half more points per night. That's roughly the same difference in his minutes, which have also increased.
For the Spurs phenom, it's a natural bridge as to why he's getting more opportunities, like on Friday – especially in a game his team trailed by 17 in the fourth quarter.
“When we need to have guys that step up in those moments,” he said. “When you're down by almost 20 you need buckets.”
Simple reasoning for a man who seems to keep it simple when games matter most.
