Throughout Gregg Popovich's tenure as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, he has earned the reputation for being a mentor figure who isn't afraid to dish out some tough love. But it seems as though in recent times, Popovich has mellowed down, especially when he has nothing left to prove in his Hall of Fame coaching career anymore. However, on Friday night, Victor Wembanyama may have caught a glimpse of classic Pop after the Spurs head coach yelled at his prized rookie late in their 126-122 overtime win over the Houston Rockets.

Nonetheless, Wembanyama acknowledged that he was responsible for the “tongue-lashing” he received from Popovich, as he forgot a play that the coaching staff added just today. But the Spurs rookie, being so mature for his age, took accountability for an inexcusable lapse in concentration.

“It’s 100% legitimate for him to yell at me in that moment. I apologized,” Wembanyama said, per Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News.

At the very least, that moment will stick with Victor Wembanyama in the long run; after all, players as crucial as he is to the team's chances of winning cannot have these deer in the headlights moments where they don't know where to be in a given play. But the Spurs coaching staff also has to know that Wembanyama is already processing a ton of information amid his transition to the NBA level, so they could certainly afford to cut him some slack.

Still, it's impressive that Wembanyama managed to gather himself and even act as the Spurs' hero in regulation, making the basket that sent the game to overtime against the Rockets. Moreover, he showed once again what a disruptive presence he is on defense, even though he didn't exactly have the most efficient night on the offensive end.