The San Antonio Spurs met up with the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. following the unfortunate news that head coach Gregg Popovich would be out indefinitely due to a health complication. The Spurs' win streak came to a close, as they fell to the Clippers 113-104, despite the 24 points and 13 assists from Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama spoke before the game on his first experience at Intuit Dome, per Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
“My impressions were really nice locker room, really long hallway, and yeah, I think it’s a beautiful arena,” Wembanyama said.
Wembanyama, for the most part, has played well as the clear leader of the Spurs. But with Popovich sidelined until further notice, it's on the second-year big man to step up and guide his team out of their rut. Wembanyama's numbers are down since his rookie season – posting averages of 18.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Victor Wembanyama needs help from Spurs teammates
It's not out of the ordinary to see a sophomore slump from a player as young as Wembanyama this early into an NBA season. He'll certainly have his chances to keep stacking double-double, and sometimes triple-double outings as the Spurs have handed him the keys to the offense. He has the green light to pull up from anywhere on the floor, in any game situation. On Monday, he went 9-of-22 from the field, and hit just two of his nine threes.
He'll have plenty of time to clean up his shooting, but other members of the Spurs' lineup need to offer some production. Veteran point guard Chris Paul has been beneficial for Wembanyama's development, as the pick-and-roll maestro can seamlessly run the offense that's tailored to him. Harrison Barnes has been another quality veteran to learn from, as the team continues without their true commander in Popovich.