An uncertain time due to a painful hip, Victor Wembanyama finally played Thursday against Atlanta, before probably being spared this Friday evening in New Orleans. As often since his over-publicized debut in the NBA, the first French number 1 in the draft was rather confident against the Hawks (21 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocks). However, as always since November 3, San Antonio lost (137-135).
With 13 defeats in a row, the Spurs are only three losses away from the franchise’s worst series, which is still fresh (16, last season). The absolute league record, shared by Cleveland and Philadelphia (24), remains out of reach for the moment, but the five-time NBA champions – last time in 2014 – are dragging out their punishment even longer than expected.
“In the first few games, a lot of people went there and then came back and told us that the Spurs could make the play-in, that the team that won 22 games last year could win 35 or 40, traces Jacques Monclar, BeIN Sports consultant, NBA broadcaster in France. I said that with 25 victories, it would already be a very good season and that at 30 we should parade on the River Walk [réseau de sentiers au cœur de San Antonio]. For the moment, they have three wins and 15 defeats. There are two teams, the Pistons and them, who can’t win a game. »
Precisely, only Detroit (2-17), the dunce of the Eastern Conference, has a worse record to date. The former team of David Robinson, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan still benefits from an aura in France that it has not deserved for a long time. His positive start to the season (three victories in the first five matches) only served to maintain the illusion, in the midst of “Wembymania”.
“A terrible lack at the leader position”
“The team is weak,” says Monclar. There are good players, but the level of the NBA is very, very high. There is a terrible lack in terms of regulation of the game, at the leader position. With a veteran player, somewhat stable in this position, the Spurs might have three more games in store. »
This was also the opinion of Joël Ayayi, ex-NBA player, when he was a guest on the show 20 minutes “The Crusaders, you know” on Twitch, mid-November. “The squad is young and weak,” said the current Nanterre winger. People, when they “scout” San Antonio, they see Victor, more Victor and then they move on to the other players. »
At this level of mediocrity, a question can be asked: if another franchise had won the “first pick” in the lottery of the last NBA draft, would Wembanyama’s immediate fate have been better? With Houston for example, astonishing 9th in the Western Conference…
Not sure, far from it. “San Antonio is a franchise that is not under pressure for results, it is the right place to develop,” continues Jacques Monclar. The Spurs and Gregg Popovich are taking their time, observing the player before actually putting him on the field and, based on that, filling out the roster. There is a project. »
Here again, Joël Ayayi agrees: “The joke in the United States is to say that the lottery was rigged,” he smiles. When you see the other franchises, no disrespect to them, everyone was a little afraid that Victor would fall there. When San Antonio got him, we said to ourselves that this is exactly what the NBA wanted because it’s perfect for Victor. I think the Spurs are doing a good job. »
Even Michael Jordan had to wait
This is one of the (rare) advantages of a closed league: without relegation pressure, a club can play François Mitterrand and “give time to time”, to advance its squad and gradually strengthen it before, at medium term, to hope to touch the Grail. Especially when the coach is called Popovich, breeder of champions in place since 1996. “Michael Jordan was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984 and he was not champion until 1991,” recalls Monclar. We hope Wemby won’t wait that long, but in the meantime, keep quiet, it’s growing.
“Already, one of the objectives of the season is to see if he can play one match after another and yes, he continues, explains the man with 201 caps for the France team. Can he sort out his game? On yesterday’s match [face à Atlanta], he has a good percentage, he makes four blocks, he scores more than 20 points, he grabs more than 10 rebounds. He is there, he is progressing. Even if it must be frustrating not to win a match, especially since in his career, he has always won. »
The prodigy, 2022 French champion with Asvel and 2023 finalist with the Metropolitans of Boulogne-Levallois, certainly loses meetings, but not yet his humor. On Wednesday, after training, he explained in a playful tone that his “worst losing record” “probably” dates back to his young years as a footballer. “We had a really bad team,” he said, smiling.
A bit like the Spurs this year, even if, magic of the “collectivist” system of American sport, these poor results will allow the Texans to be well placed for the future draft. No way to knowingly lose all the same? Monclar laughs at this philistine question. “When we don’t know the NBA, we talk about tanking. By definition, that means they lose on purpose. They don’t have to force themselves. » A point for Jacques.