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‘Not Paying Enough Attention’ — Spurs Star Victor Wembanyama Admits Glaring Offensive Flaw After Being Denied in Back-to-Back Games
Collage featuring BASKETBALL-NBA-DAL-SAS/ and BASKETBALL-NBA-SAS-HOU/. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Collage featuring BASKETBALL-NBA-DAL-SAS/ and BASKETBALL-NBA-SAS-HOU/. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Victor Wembanyama has had his fair share of denials through the San Antonio Spurs’ first three games of the season. Most notable of those blocks came on consecutive nights last week, against the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks.

Wembanyama, taking note of the uncharacteristic offensive hiccups, offered his own assessment of why his shots keep getting blocked.

Spurs’ Star Victor Wembanyama Weighs in After Back-to-Back Rejections

In the dying seconds of the Spurs’ designated home game against Houston at Moody Center in Austin, San Antonio trailed by two points with five seconds remaining. Wembanyama caught a pass in the paint and went up. Rockets guard Amen Thompson met him in midair and swatted away the would-be tying layup, and the Rockets held on for a 114-110 win.

The 6-foot-7 Thompson finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks, while the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama had 25 points on 9-of-21 shooting and 13 rebounds.

At his postgame press conference, the Spurs star was asked what he would have done differently on the final possession, and he kept it brief: “I would have dunked the ball.”

There was little time to regroup, with a game in Dallas the next night. And once again, Zaccharie Risacher managed to swat Wembanyama’s shot away.

San Antonio still pulled away for a 122-106 win over a Mavericks team playing without Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg, with Wembanyama posting 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks in 29 minutes.

Asked about the run of blocks, Wembanyama offered a candid self-assessment: “I think it’s a matter of not paying enough attention to where I am on the court, and where my opponents and teammates are.”

The Spurs star also floated a second explanation: “Maybe I’m just rushing things.”

Through three games, the 22-year-old has scored 60 points on 19-of-52 shooting from the field, including 4-of-16 from 3-point range. That works out to 20 points per game on 36.5% shooting.

He is also averaging 11 rebounds and 4 blocks, and his 12 blocks are double the number of times his own shot has been blocked. Wembanyama’s percentage took its biggest hit in the season opener, a 116-104 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 20. The visitors blocked 10 Spurs shots that night.

Wembanyama went 1-of-13 from the field and leaned on a 10-of-12 showing at the free-throw line to finish with 12 points, along with 13 rebounds and 6 blocks. He has been more efficient since, shooting 18-of-39 over the next two games.

The Spurs, who reached the NBA Finals last season, opened 0-2 before the win in Dallas lifted them to 1-2. Next up, San Antonio will return home to host the Sacramento Kings at Frost Bank Center on Tuesday.

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