'It Costs Us!' San Antonio Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama Reveals Reason Behind Losing Streak

The San Antonio Spurs are currently on their sixth-worst losing streak of all-time, and while that was expected with such a young team and fresh talent, they still hold themselves accountable for the close losses.

SAN ANTONIO — Losing eight games in a row to once again make the all-time franchise losing-streak leaderboard was never in the plans for the San Antonio Spurs. 

Adding a generational talent in 7-4 Victor Wembanyama was supposed to make sure of that, especially with how much he was hyped up for his inaugural season. Not only was he supposed to be an elite-level talent on the defensive end, but he had a jumpshot. Yet still, San Antonio hasn't been able to pull out wins. 

For any realist, that was expected — though it should be mentioned that much of the NBA can't be considered in that category. Wembanyama was just a 19-year-old, and yes, he'd likely perform as expected, but he couldn't be solely responsible for San Antonio's wins or losses. 

Despite that, he still takes responsibility for the Spurs' recent woes, narrowing it down to individual effort throughout his team's eight game losing streak. 

Nov 18, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Ziaire Williams (8) and San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) battle for a loose ball during the second half at Frost Bank Center / © Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

"I think it comes down to how important we individually consider our dedication and efforts to respect the game plan," Wembanyama said following the Spurs' 120-108 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. "I think sometimes we forget, all of us, to do some of these efforts and it costs us."

Whether it's been late-game turnovers, getting too comfortable with a lead or downright being outplayed down the stretch, San Antonio has things to work on and fix. 

“I think we need to be comfortable with any type of scenario during the game," Wembanyama said. "But there's not that one specific thing. We often give up leads in the second half, and we need to be better at that next time.”

To put it simply, the Spurs aren't competitive quite yet. They've shown flashes of great offensive potential and solid defense, but they haven't been able to put both things together, especially in late-game scenarios. 

That hasn't stopped them from trying, however. 

San Antonio might be in a hole record-wise — still far from Western-Conference contention — but it recognizes its shortcomings. And with a rookie as level-headed as Wembanyama, those issues will begin to smooth out over time, especially with the positive relationships the team has built off of the court.

“We have a very healthy locker room," he said. "[We have] healthy [relationships] with each other. And this is not an issue at all. When we're losing, we’re losing together. When someone puts their head down, we go help them. When someone falls on the court, all of us rush to help him up.”

So, the Spurs have laid the groundwork. They have the talent, the potential and the chemistry to make noise in a loaded conference. The next step is to find a way to make that translate on the court — and that, too, will be based on effort.

Where Does Johnson Fit On Spurs' Wembanyama-Centric Roster?