Wembanyama collects an unwanted NBA record

Victor Wembanyama’s debut season in the NBA, the generational player who has created the most excitement in the last decade, hasn’t started smoothly. It has stuttered hugely and continues to do so. No one has been able to find a solution to the cascade of mistakes that the San Antonio Spurs make every night, not even one of the greatest coaches in history, 74-year-old Gregg Popovich. It’s a team with a clear directive - make Wemby great by relying on him and letting him play freely - but fails to achieve even the minimum standards required in a league of this caliber. And so it went on, as Monday night saw the Spurs set their historic record for consecutive losses, reaching 17 (starting 3-2, now 3-19), in a race with the Pistons to see who can make it more significant; the Detroit team has 20 consecutive losses. They lost at the Toyota Center with a conservative score of 93-82 against the Rockets.

What’s wrong with the Spurs with Wembanyama?

The Spurs are not a paragon of virtues. Infused with youth, not only with Wembanyama but also with Vassell and Sochan in significant roles, there is a lack of cohesion with the veterans and a lack of bite, hunger to play, resilience, and wisdom. Among other things. The French center plays his game, better or worse depending on the day, but the constant goes beyond him and has no remedy.

Wemby was candid in the post-game press conference, saying “It’s not easy, but we don’t have a choice,” and that a positive was that no one doubts that in the long term, they will be the winners. “I hate losing, but I focus on the future,” he said.

Even Popovich, optimistic about his team’s potential, expressed feeling “terrible” about how poorly they managed their shots (68% from one; 56% from two; 12% from three): “It’s hard to know what to do when you miss so many shots,” he said, but added that he thought the “kids” were growing in all aspects.

Spurs undone again, this time against Rockets

The Rockets took advantage, as all teams do. They did not enjoy remarkable accuracy in their own attacks, but it was enough to win the game without breaking a sweat. In Houston, they extended their winning streak to ten, turning the arena into a formidable fortress, and they also welcomed back Amen Thompson, another standout rookie who had been sidelined for over a month with a right ankle sprain.

Victor Wembanyama’s stat sheet was once again filled with impressive attributes: 15 points, 18 rebounds, five blocks, and three assists, and he controlled his shots (7/15, despite missing five of his six three-point attempts). He also delivered the dunk of the night with an aggressive one-handed slam over Turkish player Alperen Sengun. However, it’s not enough. Apart from Wemby and perhaps Malaki Branham, the Spurs were a disaster.

On the other side, they had to rely on Fred VanVleet’s composure and, above all, on the versatility of Tari Eason, who recorded a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds, causing havoc near the basket. It’s noteworthy that the previous encounter between these two teams was one of the Spurs’ only three victories this season, a game that went into overtime and offered the first real glimpse of superstar potential in Wemby. The rest need to join him.