Billed as a match-up between NBA Rookie of the Year candidates Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, the Oklahoma City Thunder reminded with their play that Wednesday night's game marked a match-up between the team that shares the best record in the West and the now 8-36 San Antonio Spurs.
Not only did OKC not have their star rookie primarily guard his Spurs counterpart, when Wemby touched the ball, the Thunder sent multiple defenders right at him.
On the other end, the top pick this past June did guard the second overall selection in the 2022 draft. And often without help.
Victor Wembanyama reacts to Thunder defense
ClutchPoints asked the 20-year-old French phenom his thoughts on how Oklahoma City attacked him defensively.
“Having a smaller guy gives me some easy baskets sometimes. But matching me up with a bigger guy allows me to be faster than them. I just got to adapt. But I've seen this defense before, so I just play differently every time,” Wembanyama said.
ClutchPoints then followed up with a question as to whether he would've preferred to go head-to-head with Holmgren more often.
“I haven't really played one-on-ones all year. It's always one-on-two or something. It's not really a thing,” the 20-year-old star responded.
Wemby's outlook on double teams
Because the 7-foot-4 big man says he's used to double teams, it came as no surprise to him that his 7-foot-2 rival wasn't tasked with checking him for most of the game. Handling multiple defenders is a skill with which Wembanyama is growing more confident.
“It's probably one thing that was hard at the start of the season. But now I understand the court, where the rotations are. And my teammates, as well, know where I'm comfortable.”
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich was quick to remind that despite the attention surrounding the individual match-up, it wasn't a factor in the grand scheme of things.
“The way he played tonight is the way he tries to play every night. It's not because of any one individual. He plays hard. He competes. He's learning every day, understanding who he's playing against. Every night, it's a different player that he's never seen before in his life. So, he's learning a lot,” the Hall of Famer said.
Minutes restriction nearing end for Wembanyama
There was a moment in the second quarter when Wemby took a very short breather. He says it didn't have to do with playing time restriction due to a sore right ankle from late December.
“I was told right when I sat down, before then, that I'd go back in in two minutes”
Wembanyama played 28 minutes compared to Holmgren's 30. His stats were better across the board, recording more points, rebounds, blocks, and steals while finishing with the same number of assists as the Gonzaga product.
Next, Wemby faces the player with whom he was most linked leading up to this past June's draft. He hopes the minutes restriction will be lifted by Friday's game vs. Scoot Henderson and the Portland Trail Blazers.
“I think we're getting close, and it's a good thing. For me, the recovery is always the most important. Even though sometimes it's hard to sleep with the time zones and travel, we got to do the best that we can and my body's reacting pretty well so far.”
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