Why Spurs' Victor Wembanyama 'Won't Complain' About Celtics' Defensive Scheme

The game began with a problem: Victor Wembanyama, the driving force behind the San Antonio Spurs' 15 wins in 16 games since Feb. 1, had begun finding a rhythm he hadn't shown during his first two seasons. Joe Mazzulla had to plan for it.

Most of Wembanyama's success stemmed from how difficult it was to slow him down near the rim. Backed by a 7-foot-4 frame, a loose rebound or an open pair of hands above the rim often resulted in quick points for San Antonio, but the Frenchman could just as easily burn you from beyond the arc as he could from down low.

Faced with picking between the lesser of two evils, the Boston Celtics' coach made the difficult decision to let the Frenchman shoot.

"You have to be willing to live with something when you play him," Mazzulla admitted.

By the end of the first quarter, Wembanyama's lone 3-point attempt — a miss — boded well for Boston's approach. All season, the Spurs' star has taken time to adjust to new defensive schemes; at times it's disrupted his flow altogether.

Wembanyama, no stranger to overcoming shooting slumps, made it his mission to find his place within the bounds of what Boston allowed him. He tied his career high 3-point makes in a game (8) en route to a 125-116 win over the Celtics: San Antonio's fifth straight.

"Most of it was reading the game," Wembanyama explained, smirking before studying the box score in front of him. "I'm not going to complain about what they did."

Mar 10, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) looks to shoot the ball against the Boston Celtics during the first hald at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Entering Tuesday's contest, Boston ranked third in the NBA in 3-point makes per contest, second in 3-point attempts per contest and eighth in collective 3-point percentage. The Spurs, sitting 15th, 14th and 16th in those respective categories, were aptly prepared. Still, the Celtics forced them to play from behind in the first half.

"You know you're going to give up some 3s," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "I thought we did a poor job of that early ... not as connected as I would have liked (us) to be."

The Celtics' plan was to force the Spurs to play the way they had grown accustomed to. Drawing Wembanyama out of the paint with wing-bound defenders opened it up on offense as they tried to take advantage of his atypical positioning.

Similarly, leaving Wembanyama space from beyond the arc incentivized his deep shooting, which sits at a modest 36 percent this season (32 percent when wide open). Wembanyama responded by making it cost the Celtics.

"Adapting to what the defense gives me," Wembanyama said. "I think that's something that defines me. It's something I don't want to lose, ever."

Mar 10, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) watches his 3-point basket in the second half against the Boston Celtics at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Beyond Wembanyama's 39 points, De'Aaron Fox logged 25 of his own, while Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell finished with 18 and 14, respectively. Utilizing the gravity of their star wasn't a new experience, but their success, in turn, created more space for him.

"He got a rhythm early and kept it going," Fox said before speaking on Wembanyama's defensive prowess. "He's probably the greatest shot blocker to ever play, so we want him near the rim ... but whenever teams are pulling him out, we just try to communicate."

Added an expressionless Mazzulla: "You give credit to him. He's a helluva player."

Despite the win, the "special" circumstances looming over the Spurs' home matchup with the Celtics weren't lost on Wembanyama. Having endured a beating himself — a blood-drawing hit to the nose from Sam Hauser in the first half forced him to retreat briefly to the locker room — the 22-year-old understood both sides' physicality.

"Luckily, it's OK," he joked of his minor wound. "I don't use (my nose) to play basketball."

Without Brown, who was ejected with 3:38 to play in the second quarter after arguing a no-call against Castle that resulted in an out-of-bounds turnover, Boston's defensive pressure, playmaking took a hit. Wembanyama made sure that much wasn't lost on him.

"It wasn't their best team out there," Wembanyama said. "So, even though we won, we still need to remind ourselves to not go away from our identity."

Mar 10, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forwards Victor Wembanyama (1) and Mason Plumlee (45) celebrate after defeating the Boston Celtics at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

That identity, Johnson reiterated, is rooted in playing with pace and swinging the ball. If you asked Fox, it also materializes on defense. Collective adaptability.

"We're not worried about how teams guard us," Fox said. "We've been guarded in traditional ways (and) we've been guarded in untraditional ways. That's prepared us for whatever we're going to see in the future, as well."

If Boston, or other teams, want to let the Spurs shoot, they'll shoot. But Wembanyama has bigger plans. He knows he can take advantage of shots given to him.

What he's still working on is taking the shots he wants. And when he gets his way, teams won't be able to live with anything. They'll have to live with everything.

"Some day, the goal is to be kind of unguardable," Wembanyama said.