No matter what Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs try, they can’t win

In the waning seconds of his first NBA regular-season victory, San Antonio Spurs’ rookie Victor Wembanyama ran again up the court docket, high-fived followers and celebrated along with his teammates, embracing taking pictures guard Devin Vassell at half court docket.

After a season opening loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Spurs pulled collectively a 126-122 overtime win over the Houston Rockets on Oct. 27.

“I really, really love winning,” Wembanyama mentioned when requested about the outpouring of emotion after the recreation.

“It’s what I love most in life, so of course it feels great.”

Unfortunately for Wembanyama, that feeling has been exhausting to return by. The Spurs gained three of their first 5 video games to open the season, however since have endured a franchise-record shedding streak that hit 17 video games on Monday towards those self same Rockets.

They’ve blown double-digit leads (9, the most this season together with eight in a row, tied for the longest such streak in the final 25 years). They’ve been blown out — 5 losses by not less than 20 factors, tied for the second-most in the NBA. They have the league’s thirtieth ranked offense and twenty fourth ranked protection — a mix that makes for the worst level differential in the NBA.

The shedding is not one thing Wembanyama has needed to expertise a lot in his younger profession. Playing for Metropolitans 92 in the French LNB Pro A league a season in the past, he led his group to the league finals whereas incomes MVP honors.

In reality, Wembanyama’s solely expertise with this a lot shedding got here whereas taking part in a completely totally different sport.

The 7-foot-4 rookie instructed reporters the most variety of losses he ever had consecutively got here whereas he was taking part in soccer as a baby, as a goalkeeper.

“We really didn’t have a good team,” Wembanyama mentioned with amusing, including that it was exhausting to defend the objective when he was frequently going through three-on-one breaks.

Even then, Wembanyama stored up his good spirits. It’s one thing he is discovered himself having to do that season with the Spurs. Despite averaging 18.8 factors, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks as a rookie — numbers that solely Shaquille O’Neal and David Robinson have posted since the league began recording blocks in 1973-74 — the Spurs are close to the backside of the NBA, forward of solely the Detroit Pistons in win proportion.

Still, regardless of all the shedding, Wembanyama will not permit himself to get discouraged; he can see the greater image.

“Of course,” Wembanyama mentioned when requested if he hated shedding as a lot as he loves successful after Monday’s loss to the Rockets.

“I mean, of course it’s not easy. But we don’t have a choice. We have to keep going and keep grinding. The good thing is nobody doubts that in the long run we’ll be the winners. We have people who have the expertise and experience. Of course, I hate losing. But I stay focused on the long-term goal.”

THE EARLY PART of the 2023-24 season for the Spurs has been devoted to experimentation. Gregg Popovich & Co. need to see which lineups work and which of them do not round their French phenom.

The group’s most well-liked beginning lineup is Wembanyama, middle Zach Collins, ahead Keldon Johnson, Vassell at taking pictures guard and 6-foot-8 power forward-turned-point guard Jeremy Sochan.

That group carried out higher than the common Spurs defensive lineup — averaging 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks. But they could not appear to search out their footing offensively. In 88 minutes this season, these 5 scored simply 93.8 factors per 100 possessions with an efficient discipline objective proportion of 47.8% — far under the league-worst 50.0% mark of the Portland Trail Blazers.

After the 14th consecutive loss, Popovich determined to alter issues up, sending Sochan to the bench for a recreation in favor of ahead Cedi Osman — one other large choice in the beginning 5. After their fifteenth consecutive loss, Popovich once more modified the group.

Sochan was again in however guard Malaki Branham took Collins’ spot leaving the group with 4 perimeter gamers and one large: Wembanyama.

“If we were shooting it a little better, I think [the preferred starting lineup] would have worked a little better,” Collins mentioned on Wednesday. “The negative right now is spacing, which is a big reason why we went back to one big out there starting the game instead of two.

“At the finish of the day, this can be a make-or-miss league, it is taking pictures. You have to have the ability to shoot and house the ground, particularly if in case you have two bigs on the market. We have gotten to do a greater job of that and then hopefully we will get again to that lineup somewhat extra.”

Collins (29.36%) and Wembanyama (28.38%) have the worst shooting percentages on jump shots in the league among the 136 players to shoot at least 100 jumpers so far this season, according to Second Spectrum tracking data.

In Wembanyama’s first start at center he finished with 21 points and 20 rebounds — becoming the youngest player (19 years, 338 days) in NBA history to have a 20-point, 20-rebound game.

In the three games he has started at center, he is averaging 22 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocks per game. The only other rookies to have at least 60 points, 50 rebounds and 15 blocks over a three-game span are O’Neal, Robinson, Tim Duncan and Ralph Sampson.

Wembanyama is the 17th player to accomplish that feat in NBA history since blocks were first tracked and the only player to do it while making at least one three-pointer during that stretch (he’s made five).

Still, Wembanyama’s Hall of Fame coach doesn’t see him as a center in the traditional sense.

“I do not categorize him as a 5,” Popovich said. “He’s guarding the 5, however I imply, he took six 3s the final recreation. He will get it on the wing, up high, on the block, in the paint. He’s in every single place offensively. If you wish to name him a 5, that is simply who he guards.”

Despite Wembanyama’s particular person success as a beginning middle, the lineup change hasn’t ended the Spurs’ shedding streak. A nine-point house loss to the Chicago Bulls was adopted by an 11-point loss to the Rockets during which the Spurs held Houston to 93 factors, however could not get something happening their very own offensively as they shot 5-of-41 from 3-point vary.

It was, partly, a microcosm of the Spurs’ season. They repair one factor — on this case the protection, which ranked 29th in the league earlier this season — and different issues come up.

While no Spurs rotation participant has a constructive internet score this season, the group has discovered modest success with level guard Tre Jones on the ground (108.9 offensive score, 112.4 defensive score). Jones and Wembanyama have shared the court docket for 255 minutes this season, and the Spurs have outscored opponents by 3.4 factors per 100 possessions in these minutes. It’s the solely two-man pairing with Wembanyama that has a constructive internet score (minimal 10 minutes).

Jones, who began 65 of 68 video games for San Antonio a season in the past, is averaging 7.9 factors and 5.1 assists per recreation in 23.8 minutes per night time. But the Spurs like him coming off the bench and main the second unit, which has restricted the period of time he is spent taking part in alongside their star rookie.

“It’s a good combination for him to play with Zach,” Popovich mentioned on Monday when requested what he likes about holding Jones in the second unit. “He keeps that whole second group steady. He brings a lot of energy. He really steadies things out as the second group is concerned.”

EXPECTATIONS WERE LOW coming into this season, as the Spurs went 22-60 a yr in the past and made few roster modifications except for including the No. 1 total choose. Still, beginning 3-19 wasn’t what anybody in San Antonio anticipated this season.

On media day, Popovich declared that “this year, with development, I think one of the important factors to enhance that development is winning. Winning is as important this year as learning was in the past. They have to continue to learn. But adding more wins is appropriate, mandatory and helpful.”

While Popovich and others have maintained that the objective stays to win video games, the gamers have carried out their greatest to see via the fixed shedding.

Johnson, who was the Spurs’ main scorer a season in the past and sits third this season behind Wembanyama and Vassell, mentioned that regardless that the shedding streak has been “frustrating,” he believes that his teammates will get again on monitor.

“We know that we put in the work for it so we believe in each other,” Johnson mentioned Monday. “I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group than the group we got.”

San Antonio took the ground at house on Wednesday night time towards the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers with an opportunity to snap the 17-game shedding streak.

But the night time began out the manner many Spurs video games have this season, with the group missing the correct power and effort from the bounce.

The Lakers constructed a 20-point lead at the begin of the fourth quarter when the Spurs determined to look alive. They chipped away and minimize the result in single digits with the assist of two Wembanyama 3-pointers with lower than two minutes to play to make it a two-possession recreation.

With 21.9 seconds left, Wembanyama missed a game-tying free throw that led to the Lakers changing two free throws on their finish to stretch the lead again to a few. On the final play of the recreation the Spurs received Wembanyama a clear have a look at a 3-pointer.

As Wembanyama caught the inbounds go towards the high of the key, Vassell wrapped round him and took a handoff. Vassell dribbled towards the sidelines, turned and received the ball again to Wembanyama at the high of the key.

Wembanyama pump-faked, and Lakers guard Cam Reddish bit and glided by. Wembanyama took a step to his proper, fired off a shot at the rim and … an offensive foul.

Wembanyama’s sixth private foul of the recreation got here off an prolonged proper leg. He was carried out for the night time, and so had been the Spurs, who fell 122-119, extending their shedding streak to 18.

Wembanyama mentioned he sees development in the group from the place they had been at the begin of the season. Some of the sloppiness has been cleaned up. The turnovers are happening. The group is extra decisive with the ball. But even he is aware of there is a lengthy option to go.

“It’s a work in progress,” Wembanyama mentioned. “We’re nowhere near (where we want to be), but on the right path for sure.”