Fortunately the Detroit Pistons exist, the San Antonio Spurs must say. The Michigan franchise broke the record for consecutive losses in NBA history on Wednesday. Without this, we would surely further burden the Spurs, last in the Western Conference with a distressing record of 4 wins for 25 defeats, after a little more than a third of the season. How can we explain such results? Is the background just as worrying? And Victor Wembanyama in all this?
We suspected that we shouldn’t be demanding with the Spurs. Experience often weighs heavily at the highest level, and the Texan team is the youngest in the NBA (23.5 years average age). Except that the second youngest, the Oklahoma City Thunder (24.1 years), is ranked 3rd in the West. “We lack maturity,” diagnosed legendary coach Gregg Popovich after Tuesday night’s setback against the Utah Jazz (118-130). However, a common experience exists: 7 of the 9 most used players this season had already spent the entire 2022-23 season at the club. The automatisms remain vague.
Two factors have shaken up San Antonio this season. There is of course Victor Wembanyama, we will come back to that. First there is the case of the leader, Jeremy Sochan (2.03 m). Aged 20, he played in his natural position, that of strong winger, during his first season. But Popovich appreciated his versatility and his whimsical passing side, to the point of starting him at the lead. “He is not going to become Chris Paul in six matches,” the coach quickly warned at the start of the season. After around thirty matches, we are still looking for progress in our vision of the game.
Sochan is often content to bring the ball up without really organizing the game, and Popovich relies on collective intelligence for this. He could call more on his more managerial and classic leader, Tre Jones, to bring order, but thinks he has less to gain in the long term with this method. The players still need to buy in.
“To tell the truth, there are times when I don’t have confidence in myself. I am experiencing a transition that is rare in the NBA, from position 4 to that of leader,” confided Sochan in November. Result: The Spurs are scoring about 3 fewer points per game than last season. This is where the problem lies in 2023-24.
The other big factor, which is linked to the first, is Wembanyama. The 19-year-old Frenchman has the second most playing time on the Spurs (30 minutes/match) and is the one who takes the most shots (15.9). He takes up space and, between his discovery of the NBA and his atypical profile, namely technical qualities and extraordinary fluidity for his size (2.24 m), he is looking for himself. “We have playing systems, he has to learn them. He must discover our championship. There is no magic formula, he has to go through lots of stages,” warned Popovich before the start of the season.
His teammates also go through these stages. Many fans get exasperated with passes that don’t reach Wembanyama when the play calls for it. Against the New Orleans Pelicans, a sequence panicked social networks. “Wemby” finds himself defended by José Alvarado, who is 40 cm shorter, and cuts towards the circle but does not receive the ball. He still went up to dunk in the void, as if to express his dismay at the situation. “We learn to play with Vic. Vic learns to play with us. We learn to play with Jeremy (Sochan) at the lead. There’s so much going on right now,” noted fullback Devin Vassell.
Popovich, 74, continually advocates patience. “Making the program revolve around him (Wembanyama) would be premature,” he said. Willingness not to burn its wings, and not to lock it in a box too soon. This is how Giannis Antetokounmpo, to name just one, ended up a double MVP and NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks after years of struggle.
Like the Greek, the Frenchman is tested in different positions. First strong winger, then pivot. His defensive impact is, in any case, already colossal (3 blocks/match, highest average in the NBA). In attack, he draws (18.3 pts, 43% on shots, 27.8% at 3 pts), which is understandable… except when the responsibility falls on his teammates.
“What needs to be established with this team is that Wembanyama is your No. 1 guy and everyone needs to find their role around that,” said former Chicago Bulls player-turned-commentator Stacey King. Because right now it seems like there are guys wondering if they’re the No. 1 guys. Sorry to break it to you, but no, you’re not.” The “lack of consistency” that Popovich sees is “partly due to our youth” according to him, but he himself admitted on Tuesday that the situation will soon no longer be tenable.
“I will have to ask some people to be more regular, otherwise changes will be necessary,” he warned. In charge of the team since 1996, with five NBA titles, Popovich extended it last summer until 2028. He could be content with a role of sports director or advisor at the end of his contract. Unless he leaves, what if he or his bosses think he’s no longer the right man for the job? Taboo question in San Antonio.
At this rate, the Spurs will have a very high draft pick again in 2024 to accelerate their rebuild. Wembanyama, who is slowly building his status as leader, wanted to be lucid after a 16th consecutive defeat in Chicago on December 9: “You have to be patient, there is no other choice.”
