Victor Wembanyama led the San Antonio Spurs to a 127-113 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at Chase Center, posting 41 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocks. After the game, the Spurs star shared insights on his approach, team dynamics, and playoff anticipation.
“It was important for us. I think we did a good job at it. As a competitor, always very sad to see teams that are deeply hurt. I wish all of them good health, you know. But yeah, in games like this, it’s about us. We got to care about our habits,” Wembanyama said.
He discussed the challenge of maintaining focus even when leading comfortably. “In my mind, the main thing is respecting the game and respecting the opponent. That’s playing 100%. If we didn’t, that would be a disrespect to ourselves first.”
Wembanyama also addressed the Spurs’ veteran influence, highlighting the role of players like Harrison Barnes and Bismack Biyombo. “We’ve got a good amount of good vets that will lead this, too. It’s just all very healthy. Everybody feels comfortable in their role. The vets feel comfortable giving as much advice as they can, and the younger players apply and listen as much as they feel like is good, so we got a good dynamic.”
Reflecting on praise from Draymond Green, Wembanyama said, “This compliment means a lot coming from him. There’s so much film, so much analytics that a guy that’s going to be in a primary matchup will have watched some film and had his coaches tell them about how to defend me and study me.”
On his scoring efficiency, Wembanyama explained, “It has often been difficult for me to find comparisons offensively. Some of the big scorers I tried to inspire have been defended differently. Efficiency has been a big question and a big development axis for me last summer.”
He also emphasized rebounding as a priority. “It’s always a goal to grab more rebounds and especially the most important is the defensive rebound percentage. Even in my first game ever in the NBA, I was trying to grab the most rebounds, but it’s always the progression, the physical progression first, and then the habits and instincts.”
Looking ahead to the playoffs, Wembanyama expressed measured excitement. “Thinking about it a lot, but not all the time either because we got so much, so quick turnarounds. But yeah, I’m super excited. We’re going to have a pretty long homestretch tomorrow, towards the end of the regular season and the early playoffs. I’m especially excited to see the fans.”
He also shared personal reflections about his roots. “For sure, I’ve talked to my dad about Congo. My grandma was born there and lived there. Bismack, yes, I have talked to him about it. It’s really inspiring what he’s doing with his foundation and seeing the impact firsthand.”
The Spurs’ win extended their streak to 10 games and kept them in striking distance of the top seed in the Western Conference.
