Spurs' Gregg Popovich Praises 'Wonderful' Victor Wembanyama
The relationship between San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and rookie Victor Wembanyama continues to develop and grow as the season goes on.
Popovich has been quite the help for Wembanyama, who recently strung together arguably his most well-rounded performance of his NBA career so far. On Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, Wembanyama achieved the rare 5x5 feat, where he recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and five blocks. It was just the 15th time in NBA history someone had recorded such a stat line.
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"He's (Wembanyama) a wonderful guy to coach who loves to be coached," Popovich said postgame. "He can handle criticism and we're working with all the fundamental, basic things. Footwork, pivoting, balance, all the things that a young player needs, and he's jumped right in. Obviously, he's better every month."
The biggest part of Wembanyama's game that's improving is his aggression. He has a lot of force at 7-4 and he's beginning to learn how to take what is his.
"In a lot of those ways in his aggressiveness, you could see it tonight. He got to the free throw line because he took the ball to the rim, to his defender," Popovich said. "Instead of fading away or avoiding contact, he sought it out and when he does that, you can see that he's really understanding how to play the game."
As Wembanyama grows both cerebrally and physically, that part of his game is only going to flourish, making it much more difficult for opponents to defend.
Wembanyama and the Spurs face off against the Utah Jazz tonight at 7 p.m. CT.
