With Victor Wembanyama coming off an all-time great performance in the Western Conference Finals, it was all but guaranteed that the OKC Thunder would make life more difficult for the San Antonio Spurs’ main man in Game 2. Wembanyama ended up feeling the brunt of physicality as his primary defender Isaiah Hartenstein imposed his will on the defensive end.
The Thunder’s rough play is a puzzle that San Antonio will have to solve if they are to maintain homecourt advantage in Game 3 Friday night. In an interview with San Antonio Express-News, Wembanyama’s teammate Julian Champagnie said that the Spurs need to give OKC a taste of their own medicine.
“Hit back. Honestly, hit back,” Champagnie said when asked how his team can protect Wemby. “The guys hit him, they pull him, they grab his jersey, they’re grabbing his arm when he’s jumping.”
Julian Champagnie, who signed with the Spurs midway through Wembanyama’s rookie season three years ago, criticized the Thunder for taking things a step too far in their defensive coverage of the 7-foot-4 big man.
“Obviously, that’s not basketball. That’s just a physicality thing. That’s up to the refs to deal with, not us. But I think as a team, how we can help him is we hit them back.”
Amidst all the physicality, Wembanyama posted 21 points, 17 rebounds, and six assists in Game 2. However, mainly thanks to Hartenstein’s defense, Wembanyama did not have an abundance of quality looks at the basket in the fourth quarter.
Viral Pic Shows Victor Wembanyama Soaking Up Wisdom From Spurs’ All-Time Coaching Great
This late in the playoffs, it makes plenty of sense for Victor Wembanyama to seek counsel in order to stay grounded and focused on the Spurs’ mission. In this regard, there’s no better voice to listen to than one of the architects of the San Antonio dynasty.
A viral pic shows Wembanyama taking a moment to listen to Gregg Popovich, who led the Spurs to five NBA championships and holds the winningest regular season record in the history of NBA head coaches.
Popovich, in fact, was Wembanyama’s first-ever head coach in the NBA. As the WCF shifts to San Antonio, Wemby will need all the advice that he can get from a folk hero of Spurs lore.
