How the Kings Are Preparing for Victor Wembanyama
The Sacramento Kings are set to host their first home game in two weeks, this time against the San Antonio Spurs in an important tone-setting matchup. The Spurs have won only 11 games this season, giving HC Mike Brown's side the perfect opportunity to start the second part of the season off with a win.
For the Kings, the first half of the season was underwhelming. Currently sitting at 8th place in the Western Conference, the team has seen streaks of inconsistency as they try to catch their stride to close out the year. With a new page being turned on the season, Thursday night's matchup is a big one for Sacramento.
This will be the second time these teams face off this season, with the first matchup ending in a 129-120 win for Sacramento on the road back in November. That game saw De'Aaron Fox drop his season high with 43, with 16 of those coming in the fourth quarter.
On the other side of the ball, the Kings will see first-overall pick C Victor Wembanyama once again. In the November matchup, Wembanyama scored 27 points while securing nine rebounds in his team's loss.
Coach Brown talked about Wemby's presence in the paint, and how the Kings will need to adjust to such a strong defensive player (via @SeanCunningham | X):
I mean everybody knows he's a great shot-blocker and you know what we like to do anyway is touch the paint and spray. If Victor's coming, I think it just has to be a feel. We've talked about it, we've shown it, we've already played him once and if he's coming and you don't think you have an advantage then spray the ball and go from what may be a good shot to a great shot... He might be one-of-one with his length and skillset, I've never seen anything like it before.
Wembanyama is one of the league's most unique players, and notched his first career triple-double earlier this month by recording 10 blocks against the Toronto Raptors. The rookie didn't have a single block against Sacramento earlier in the season, and will surely be looking for ways to make his presence felt in the return fixture as the Kings look to fend off the Spurs for the second time.
