Background: Wembanyama's first fiasco in the NBA
Wembanyama's NBA debut was a difficult one in his most recent game, as his Spurs suffered an 83-123 loss to the Clippers. This match means Wembanyama's career hasn't started off too well, but we can't blame him entirely for the fiasco. After all, the opponent is a team of Clippers made up of superstars like Jr. Ka, George and Westbrook. From the very beginning of the game, the Clippers showed great strength, and it took less than three quarters to stretch the margin to 30 points and go straight into garbage time. Even though the Spurs' rookies tried to resist, when they looked up and saw the opposing players with a strong lineup, they couldn't help but flinch, as if silently telling themselves in their hearts: "Forget it, let's not fight." ”
Let's be honest, although the Clippers are often nicknamed "offseason champions" in the offseason, as long as their main players are on the court, their quality should not be underestimated. The combination of two front-line forwards, Pepper and Zubac, made the Spurs almost powerless to resist. What's more, they also have a sane playmaker and interior defense expert – a dozen Spurs who are "like cows". Therefore, in the event of a loss, Spurs did not come as much of a surprise.
However, the Spurs have also exposed some glaring problems. The first is the lack of the number one and five positions. Popovich is trying to establish Sochan as a No. 1 player, but his basic skills such as ball handling, playmaking and passing awareness will take time to improve. Until the Spurs have a true playmaker on the court, they can hardly be called a "powerhouse." In addition, the personnel reserve at the No. 5 position is also an issue for the Spurs. Wembanyama's ability on the defensive end is quite impressive, covering almost the entire area within the three-point line. However, he has little advantage when it comes to rebounding and the ability to compete for positions in the box. As a result, the Spurs must find a No. 5 player to match Wembanyama. At the moment, Collins is the only one who can defend the No. 5 position, but the latter is difficult to take on the responsibility of the whole court and cannot fully guarantee the rebounding game. Clearly, the Spurs didn't do a good enough job of rebounding protection.
Data analysis: Problems with rebounding protection and ability to catch the ball
Let's take a look at the specific data to further analyze the competition. In this game, the Clippers' point guard Wei Shao played only 26 minutes, but grabbed eight rebounds. And Collins, who had the most rebounds on the Spurs, only got 6 rebounds. This is a great example of how well the Spurs can protect the rebound, compared to how poor the Spurs are.
As for Wembanyama's stats, he played 26 minutes before the end of the game, with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, but also had 5 turnovers. With an under-satisfying three-point shot from the outside, he struggled against an interior player like Zubac. When faced with conceding goals and mistakes, young people always have to pay a price to learn. Some fans have mentioned that Spurs teammates don't give Wembanyama the ball, but in fact, this statement is not entirely true. On the one hand, the Spurs don't have a clear playmaker who makes it difficult to get the ball into the hands of each teammate perfectly, and on the other hand, Wembanyama's receiving habits are not very good. Due to his lack of defensive ability, he rarely asks for the ball on the inside, or catches the ball in a stuck position. A lot of times teammates can't pass the ball to him at all. Wemban's more accustomed way of receiving the ball is to receive the ball from the outside and launch an attack, which doesn't have much of a sense of involvement for the rest of his teammates. These problems will need to be overcome by Wembanyama, or Popovich will be able to help him develop. For Spurs players, there is no need to be obsessed with winning or losing a game, and since the goal is the future, they cannot be slowed down by a short loss. For Spurs fans, take it easy and watch the game, winning or losing is not the most important thing. Over the years, Spurs have experienced numerous defeats, and one more is nothing. And for Clippers fans, as long as they can eliminate the harassment of injuries, the Clippers may really have a chance to achieve excellent results this season.
Summary and personal opinions
As we can see from this game, Wembanyama has had some difficulties in his NBA debut. He needs to face strong opponents and unfavorable playing conditions. However, that doesn't mean his career is over. In the world of basketball, every player encounters setbacks and difficulties, and being able to learn and grow from them is the most important thing. For Wembanyama, he will need to strengthen his technical skills and adaptability to improve his performance in the game. At the same time, the Spurs also need to give him more opportunities and support to make a difference and become one of the core of the team.
In addition, rebounding protection and catching ability are two of the Spurs' current problems. The Spurs need to find a No. 5 player to match Wembanyama to improve their ability to compete for rebounds and protect them inside. In addition, the Spurs also need a good playmaker to improve the team's offensive effectiveness. Only with these improvements will Spurs be able to become a truly strong team in the future.
Overall, despite the heavy defeat suffered by Spurs in their opening game, that doesn't mean they are out of hope. They still have young players and experienced coaches who have a lot of potential in the future. It's a growth process for the team, and they need to learn from their failures and keep improving and improving. And for the fans, they need to be patient and supportive, believing that the team will get better. As for the Clippers, as long as they can avoid the distraction of injuries, they may really have a chance to be a good team this season and pursue better results.
Overall, this game was Wembanyama's first heavy defeat since entering the NBA, but that doesn't mean his career is over. He still has a lot of potential and room to grow. The Spurs exposed a number of issues in this game, including a lack of players at the No. 1 and No. 5 positions, as well as issues with rebounding protection and catch-and-catch ability. However, the Spurs still have clear potential and hope, and they need to learn from their failures and continue to work hard to improve. For the fans, they need to be patient and supportive, believing that the team will get better. As for the Clippers, as long as they can stay healthy, they have a chance to excel this season.