The physicality in the Western Conference Finals has gotten the NBA world buzzing, and there is perhaps no player in the Thunder-Spurs series who has borne the brunt of physicality as much as Victor Wembanyama. As a matter of fact, a former Defensive Player of the Year has taken notice of the rough play that Wembanyama has had to endure.
After the Thunder defeated the Spurs 123-108 in Game 3, Draymond Green went on Threads to point out a certain tactic that the defending champions have been using against the Spurs big man.
“OKC is teaching a valuable lesson. One that teams started doing against us many years ago. They can only call but so many jersey grabs when Steph run. So people just started grabbing him. He learned to play through it and became one of the greatest ever on the biggest stages. Wemby has to learn how to play through it, because teams are going to keep grabbing and holding him. Not going to change.”
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As much as Green has doled out physicality over the years as a tenacious defender, he is also spot-on when he points out that his teammate Steph Curry has seen his fair share of roughhousing when the Golden State Warriors dominated the league.
In his first-ever playoff series, Victor Wembanyama is realizing that the same fate awaits him over the next several years. As Green said, the two-time All-Star will have to get accustomed to this type of defensive coverage.
“I Need to Be More of a Team Player”: Victor Wembanyama Expresses Regrets After Game 3 Loss
In the post-game media session, Victor Wembanyama expressed remorse over falling short as the Spurs’ leader in Game 3.
“I feel like I have trouble making my teammates better right now…I need to be more of a team player.”
Wembanyama will now have to figure out how he can better use his gravity to set up his teammates for more scoring opportunities in Game 4.
