There are evenings like that. Victor Wembanyama was a little inside, shaken by the aggressiveness of the Houston Rockets, uninspired in his shot choices. In the hallway that takes him back to the locker room after the match, he lowers his head and claps his hands in disappointment. In the end, a defeat (101-106), the second of the season in three meetings for the San Antonio Spurs. But since it’s Victor Wembanyama, he still finishes with 14 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks. A correct statistical assessment, even if it was mainly defensively that the Frenchman performed.
Long minutes after the defeat, he came to sit down, his face dull, his eyes red and visibly weakened by a cold, in the press room of the Frost Bank Center. “Come on, shall we start?” », he asks, visibly in a hurry to end this delicate evening. “I’m in pretty good shape, you just have to get used to playing together, digesting the different strategies,” he analyzes. Everyone will improve. »
In the first half, he single-handedly compensated for Spurs’ weakness in defense. The Texans conceded 62 points during the first act, and the bill could have been heavier if Wemby had not used all his size to block several shots, Jabari Smith in a flash at the very start of the match then Tari Eason behind, coming back from nowhere.
Moved by the Houston Rockets
His duel with one of the opposing pivots, Steven Adams, however, did not leave him unscathed and the Frenchman found it difficult to exist under the basket. “It’s difficult offensively against Steven Adams because he is very strong, he is difficult to move and therefore you have to arrive before him,” explains Wemby.
Facing the “villain” Dillon Brooks (the “villain”, his nickname in the NBA), on the other hand, it’s a different story. Two days earlier, during a first opposition between the two teams, the two players had clashed, competing for a ball on the ground.
This time, Wemby clearly has the upper hand over the Canadian from the Rockets. Defensively, he first makes him fall back then rises full length to prevent him from scoring (first quarter); offensively, he makes him dance before overtaking him and going to score (second quarter), then he viciously gets the best of him before slipping a few sweet words into his ear (fourth quarter).
It looks like the rivalry between the two Texan cities, separated by 300 km, is starting to get really spicy. Spurs player Jeremy Sochan had also announced the color on the morning of the first confrontation. “Fuck Houston,” he said, half in jest. There were numerous altercations and Rockets leader Fred VanVleet couldn’t help but tell Sochan, with a hand gesture, to talk less next time.
La Connexion Sochan – Wemby
Sochan may speak but assures on the floor. He is going through this start to the season with remarkable consistency: another 22 points and 9 rebounds last night. His relationship with Wemby seems as good off it as on the court: the two combine a lot.
Strangely, since the start of the season it is the Frenchman who often makes the American-Polish score, with a lob over the defense. “We haven’t really worked on it, but we talked about it, and it’s working well,” notes Sochan. Victor can do anything. »
“He goes fast and jumps high, and the fact that we can score like that solves a lot of our problems, especially when the opposing teams defend with two on me,” Wembanyama said of his teammate.
Like last year, the Spurs have a negative record (1-2) after three matches. “We made a lot of progress this summer but that’s the least we can expect of us,” points out Wembanyama. Three matches is a bit short to draw an assessment, there are not enough bases to evaluate. But we will know quickly after the first trips. »
The evaluation will come quickly: San Antonio will now travel four times in its next five games, starting with the long-awaited duel with Chet Holmgren on Wednesday evening (during the night from Wednesday to Thursday in France) in Oklahoma City against at the Thunder. There are evenings like this, when we know someone who will want to shine!
