'Never': Despite Early Struggles, Victor Wembanyama Won't Stop Shooting

Victor Wembanyama started extremely slow at home against the Golden State Warriors, but became the star of the show by the end of the fourth quarter by simply continuing to shoot.

Nov 23, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots in the second half against the Golden State Warriors at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

SAN ANTONIO — Three quarters in, Victor Wembanyama was arguably the reason his San Antonio Spurs were down 17 points to the visiting Warriors.

It was his return game — the 20-year-old had missed three games with a right knee contusion after colliding with Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis back on Nov. 15 — and naturally, there was some more rust to shake off, but even then, he felt out somewhat out of sorts.

After all, he was only 5-for-12 and hadn't made more than two shots in any of the periods.

"It was a little hard to come back in terms of conditioning in the first half," Wembanyama explained. "But second half, I was feeling really good."

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That much was evident. In the fourth quarter alone, Wembanyama notched 10 points — two of which were 3-pointers that seldom fell early on in the contest — and notched assist No. 9 to record a near triple-double against the best team in the Western Conference. By the numbers, it had looked like the sophomore had recorded another monster performance.

A deeper dive revealed that was all but true. In fact, there was certainly a case to be made that maybe Wembanyama should have stopped shooting.

But he wasn't hearing out anyone crazy enough to suggest it.

"Stop shooting?" Wembanyama asked rhetorically. "Never."

Nov 23, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots in the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Evidently, the 20-year-old's plan worked. San Antonio notched its third straight victory to put itself over .500 for the first time since the beginning of last season. This time, it seems that's much more likely to stick.

Especially if Wembanyama plays the way he did in the fourth quarter.

"He's had an off-and-on start (this season)," Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said. "But he was a grown man in the fourth quarter ... he does these amazing things. It's so natural.

"His fundamentals, especially late, were elite. And when he does that. it'll be scary."

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For Wembanyama, falling back on fundamentals is as simple as it sounds, though harder to execute than even he'd like to admit. Strong catches, quick moves and shooting with confidence represented just the tip of the iceberg.

He did all of them to cement the Spurs' win Saturday evening, especially the latter.

"Vic's confidence never wavers," Chris Paul said. "It's so dope to see ... he knows the next one is going in. That's big, to continue to shoot it. The plays he made were all winning plays."

Nov 23, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates in the second half against the Golden State Warriors at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

As Harrison Barnes put it, Wembanyama "rubs off" on the Spurs. Whether it was Stephon Castle not hesitating to shoot from 27 feet out or Julian Champagnie finishing the receiver's end of a lob, his impact was visible.

And from within? It's felt.

"He embraces moments for sure," Johnson said. "He's continuing to learn how to take advantage of different moments, but I think some of the passes and simple plays are just as good of an example of that."

As San Antonio takes the court looking for its fourth straight win of the season against the Utah Jazz, Wembanyama will look to leave his 'fundamental' imprint on his teammates and the game itself.

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Starting quick, for him, would be ideal. But if not? If he struggles from the floor early on?

Rest assured, he'll keep on shooting.

"It's a balance you have to learn," Wembanyama said. "It's a switch I'm trying to flip on demand."

Tipoff from Delta Center in Salt Lake City is set for 8 p.m. Central.

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