Highlights: Victor Wembanyama shoulders the load in Spurs loss to the Timberwolves
Dec 16, 2024
Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
I ask not for lighter burdens but for broader shoulders. On a night the Spurs received huge rebounding from Victor Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan, they could not overcome their shooting woes and the Timberwolves’ hot start. Wembanyama led the team with 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and swatted a whopping 7 blocks.
Wembanyama for his part has been steady as they come leading the team with 23.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.5 blocks per game. He’s also letting it fly from deep at an 8.9 attempt per game clip but only making 33.3% of his shots.
The best players make the impossible look effortless. The Spurs’ super sophomore is no different as he takes the ball at the top of the key and “effortlessly” powers his way to the basket.
.@wemby to the top floor! pic.twitter.com/AF655Yycsr— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024
Sandro Mamukelashvili out here doing what 99.99% of us would do on the basketball court, shovel it to Wembanyama and get out of the way. I would probably be in the other 0.01%, which means I would shovel it to Wembanyama and be in the way.
Oh my pic.twitter.com/7pTxSmfAfE— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024
Stephon Castle displaying a bit of clairvoyance or just brash risk-taking despite bobbling the pass from Devin Vassell before finding Charles Bassey cutting down the lane. Castle continues to impress with his mature court vision and quick twitch to find teammates before the defense and his teammates themselves can react and realize the ball is coming to them.
I wouldn’t be surprised if reports surface that Castle is metaphorically and literally shadowing Chris Paul around just absorbing all of that basketball IQ via one-on-one teaching and osmosis.
Castle vision pic.twitter.com/iPPqByoBUB— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024
While we’re on Castle, let’s gush over how tough and fearless he is in the paint. The rookie missed one game but eased his way back off the bench and recorded 5 assists for the night.
TUFF BUCKET pic.twitter.com/V18Z34A7aP— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024
Julian Champagnie found a crease and powered through for the slam. Champagnie continues to be a steady supply of scoring for the Spurs while also maintaining his career-high of 12.8 points per game.
cleared for takeoff pic.twitter.com/Jo1lTSNT3Z— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024
The Spur (at least to my own unreliable memory) aren’t exactly known for their alley-oops, but it seems like those oops find their way onto the menu more and more this season. Perhaps that’s the influence of having Chris Paul on your team.
Either way I’m here for it just like Bassey was there for the alley-oop from Castle.
oooop there it is! pic.twitter.com/Iz2a5fr9q4— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024
Harrison Barnes showed off some of that veteran savvy with the ball fake and fancied it up by doing it off one foot for good measure. Barnes is shooting a solid 49.2% from the field, just short of his career-high 49.7%. Additionally, he is shooting a career-high best 44.4% from three.
FOURTH QUARTER TIME ️END 1 | SAS 70, MIN 76 pic.twitter.com/dEBHLvV2b0— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024
Wembanyama impressively got this to go in while off balance after he received a crisp, on-the-dot full-court pass from Sochan. The and-1 was a nice cherry on top.
just unreal pic.twitter.com/f6qDcN8vtI— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024
Sometimes you watch a sequence and think “Oh I can do that if I was more than 7 feet tall.” This is not one of those times. Wembanyama unbelievably keeps the ball moving in traffic and finds Sochan for the bucket with a super quick touch pass that prevented Rudy Gobert from getting his mitts on it.
ball movement in motion pic.twitter.com/j65uFtVZCA— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024
This artful sequence is so calming yet exciting. It’s like mixing Ambien into your coffee and letting the caffeine buzz get you excited for a few seconds before drifting off into a fantasy land where the Spurs are 82-0, Victor Wembanyama is averaging 30/10/10/10 and 10; Stephon Castle is the next Marcus Smart but taller, Ron Artest but not as Artest-y, Brandon Roy but slightly 10% less offensively gifted, Jimmy Butler but before Minnesota and kind of while Derrick Rose was still in his prime (the possibilities are endless!); Jeremy Sochan is rocking coral beach as a hair color while notching a double-double on the daily; and Devin Vassell finally lives up to those Scottie Pippen comps—again, the possibilities are endless!
I see we’re at the dream really big part of the article, so why not, let’s end it on that note: dream big!
here come the Spurs pic.twitter.com/m4FJo3Bo4c— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024
If you missed the game because you were too busy reading this PSA: please don’t mix prescriptions with your coffee—I am not a doctor; here are the full-game highlights:
Next up, the Spurs take on the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, December 19, 2024.