The San Antonio Spurs entered their Friday night matchup looking to get their first win of the 2023-24 season over their in-state rivals Houston Rockets. The Rockets, fresh off a blowout defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic in their season-opener, may have been ripe for the taking, but that wasn't the case, as they gave Victor Wembanyama and company hell. In the end, it was the Spurs that took home the victory, a 126-122 win that necessitated an extra five minutes.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich acknowledged that there will be plenty of growing pains for such a young team, regardless of how talented and how incredible Wembanyama has been thus far. But a win is a win, and an early-season victory instills confidence in a such an inexperienced team, giving them the necessary belief that they could soldier on and have a great season.
And Victor Wembanyama expressed just how important it was for him to get his first-ever NBA victory, and given how tantalizing a prospect he is, there may be many more of those victories to come for the ascending Spurs.
“I really, really love winning. It’s what I love most in life,” Wembanyama said in his postgame presser, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “Of course it felt great. [But] it's just one win. We got a whole lot more to come, we got a whole lot more tough games to come, so focus on the next one. But I'm feeling very proud.”
This is the exact kind of mentality that will get Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs places. The worst thing that can happen to a young team is to get complacent; remaining hungry is imperative if they're looking to improve exponentially. And they're looking like they're on their way to doing so.
But Wembanyama's quest for a second career victory will be a tough test, as it will come against a Los Angeles Clippers team that will be looking to redeem themselves following a heartbreaking loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Nevertheless, with Wembanyama leading the way, the Spurs, unlike last season, have a chance to win in every game.