Victor Wembanyama admitted that playing on a minutes restriction against the Memphis Grizzlies was “hard’ because he felt he could’ve done more for the San Antonio Spurs in the 106-105 road loss on Tuesday night.
The Frenchman returned from a two-game absence due to a bruised knee and recorded 30 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 10-for-20 shooting from the field across 21 minutes of action. The San Antonio Spurs also placed a minutes restriction on Wembanyama when he returned from a left calf strain that sidelined him for 12 games earlier this campaign.
“(It was) very hard,” Wembanyama told ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “I’ve got to trust the process, got to trust my staff. Basketball, it’s a team thing. We have to trust each other, but at the same time hold each other accountable.”
“The fact is we play down to the level of the opponent,” he added of their loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. “The good thing is we can match up with anybody and look everybody in the eyes. But the bad thing is we look everybody in the eyes, and sometimes we should just put people away. Most of the time, we execute well. But we don’t finish plays (and) possessions. We just keep people in the games.”
San Antonio Spurs News: Mitch Johnson plays the long game with Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama is in danger of missing out on some of the most coveted individual awards because of the league’s 65-game rule. San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said he’s aware of this, but emphasized that the club is focused on keeping the young Frenchman “healthy for years.”
“There’s a lot of variables that are in the mix, right?” Johnson explained. “That’s one of them. I don’t know what the word is. I think it’s ‘real.’ I think Victor being (22) is real. I think this team being at the early part of its journey is real. I think the success we’ve had, whether it was expected or not, is real.
“So, yes. What is the priority of all of that? I do know his long-term health, and making sure we keep that kid from himself in terms of his competitiveness. We want him to be healthy for years, not for just trying to win the next couple of games. I do know that. All the other stuff, I think it’s real. I just don’t know where it all falls. That’s why we continuously have these conversations, and we don’t put anything in stone,” he ended.
