How did Victor Wembanyama react to a bad game? With a historic one for Spurs

SALT LAKE CITY – The mark of a great player is how he responds to a bad play. And on Wednesday night, in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Victor Wembanyama experienced a game he would like to forget. It was more than the six points he scored in his career. For a man of his enormous talent, he simply didn't have enough influence on the game overall.

However, there was no panic. Of course there was a film session to see what he could have done better. There were discussions with trainers. But overall, Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs knew the NBA's speed would serve them well in this case.

“Playing the next night was good for us,” Wembanyama said. “That was our luck. The special thing about this league is that you have so many chances to get better over the course of the season. There are so many ways to fix what needs fixing. For us it was best that we had a meeting because it was the quickest way to get back to winning.”

Victor Wembanyama has given plenty of hints about upcoming superstar status. In his rookie season, he averaged 21 points and almost 11 rebounds per game. He was legitimately one of the best defenders in the league. He makes his living performing at nightly highlights. But nothing speaks more of his all-around brilliance than what he accomplished Thursday night in a 106-88 win over the Utah Jazz.

In NBA history, there have been 23 5×5 players with stats of at least five points, five rebounds, five blocked shots, five assists and five steals. Of those 23, only two had done it more than once as of Thursday evening. Those two are Hakeem Olajuwon and Andrei Kirilenko, who Jazz fans know well. Wembanyama entered the Delta Center on Thursday night celebrating Halloween dressed as No-Face from the film “Spirited Away,” a 2001 Japanese fantasy animated film. He left the Delta Center as one of three players in the NBA History that had several 5x5s.

The Wembanyama Halloween tradition continues! 🎃

(above @nba)pic.twitter.com/wkOlrs9Rjm

– NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 31, 2024

And he accomplished this feat in 76 career games.

“It shows me that I need to improve my standards,” Wembanyama said. “It shows me that I can help my team in all of these areas and that this should be a consistent thing. Like I said, I thought this was a game we had to have. So I was happy that I could help my team in all areas.”

On the night, Wembanyama scored 25 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out seven assists. He had five steals and blocked five shots. The Spurs outscored the Jazz by an astounding 43 points while on the floor.

Things we like to see >>> https://t.co/iP49gRDWOq pic.twitter.com/X1ghh1PL9S

—San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 1, 2024

This was obviously one of the best individual games of the young NBA season. But there is always a bigger picture to consider. Wembanyama knew he hadn't played well on Wednesday night. He shot 1 of 5 from the floor, showing how unaggressive his game was. He hasn't impacted the game on either end of the pitch and the Spurs don't have much of a chance of winning games when he plays like that.

But Wembanyama is certainly mature beyond his years. And he embraces the expectations that come with being a star. One of the things the Spurs did this offseason was sign Chris Paul to help Wembanyama's development. That's one of the reasons San Antonio ran a steady diet of pick-and-roll between the two on Thursday night. The goal was to get Wembanyam involved in the offense early and often.

“That was the good thing,” Paul said. “We didn’t have to say too much. That's what's special about this league. There are so many opportunities and ways to get better. This guy has been a pro for a long time. He is young, but he has a lot of experience. We knew he would bounce back.”

As he recovered, Wembanyama answered some questions about himself. How would he react to a bad game? How would he get out the next night? Is there a toughness there that comes with a short memory?

Wembanyama hit a three-pointer on the first possession of the game. It was missing. He made a three-pointer on San Antonio's second possession of the game. It was missing. On the fourth possession, he hit a 3. The ball went through, everything into the net.

It wasn't the shots he took. It was the aggression. There was no way Wembanyama wouldn't be looking for his offense on Thursday night. And as the game progressed and he found a rhythm, there was no way he was going to let the Spurs lose this game. In this sense, Wembanyama has the quality that all greats have. He can endear himself to you with his smile. As his Halloween costume attests, he's brimming with charisma. But he has a strong competitive instinct, and that instinct wouldn't allow him to have back-to-back bad nights.

“I absolutely agree with him making a lot of shots from distance,” San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s more of a perimeter player than a post player. We want him to be able to do everything. We want him to isolate himself. We want him to shoot. We want him to take over the entire deal. We just can't do everything at once. It depends on the situation and what’s happening.”

On the night, Wembanyama made a career-best 13 3-pointers. He did four of them. But he got on track and finished on the edge. He has stuff in the middle post area. He ran the pick-and-roll with Paul perfectly, especially down the stretch. And because he was so committed offensively, he was also committed everywhere on the field.

It was one of those performances that you don't quickly forget, especially if you saw it live. There wasn't an area of ​​the ground that Wembanyama didn't hit on Thursday night. And that is one of the reasons why he was considered the next generation for so long.

“We knew we needed this game,” Wembanyama said. “It wasn’t so much individual as it was the desire for our offense to progress. Basketball is a game that we can play and have fun with. But what comes with that is being aggressive and making sure you don’t hesitate when you’re on the ground.”

(Photo: Rob Gray / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)