Victor Wembanyama eyes bounce back from rough opener as Spurs face Rockets

If the NBA fans were shocked about the output from San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama in the Spurs’ season-opening home loss to rival Oklahoma City on Oct 20, join the club.

Wembanyama was just as stunned.

The great thing about the NBA is that its packed schedule does not give players much time to sit around and mope about “should-have-dones”.

Wembanyama and San Antonio get right back on the court and look to make amends when they square off against the Houston Rockets on Oct 23 in the Spurs’ home-away-from-home in Austin, some 144.8km north of the Alamo City.

The Oct 23 contest is the first of back-to-back games for San Antonio, which will stay in state to play at Dallas on Saturday.

That provides a few opportunities for Wembanyama to bounce back after he missed 12 of his 13 shots from the floor in the Oct 20 116-104 defeat by the Thunder.

“I need to go back to playing the basketball I like,” Wembanyama said. “This is not the sport I like right here. I’ve got no reason to be hesitant, no reason to not be myself. For me, it’s as simple as that. I’m good when I have fun.

“I might be overthinking it, and I feel like it’s a chance for me. What I have to do is really let go. I don’t need to do more. I need to think less, probably.”

No one is pushing any panic buttons about the Spurs and their new three-guard starting line-up. It is just one game, and those guards – Stephon Castle (24 points), Dylan Harper (18) and D’Aaron Fox (14) – did more than enough, scoring-wise, to beat many teams.

Wembanyama finished the Oct 20 game with 12 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots, but the entire team expected a lot more in terms of output.

“I can tell you,” Harper opined, “there’s gonna be better days to come with that line-up.”

The Rockets head to Austin after a 128-110 home victory over Dallas on Oct 21 in both teams’ season opener. Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr led Houston with 30 points each in the win, with Alperen Sengun adding 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Houston outscored Dallas 38-12 in the second quarter and eventually led by as many as 37 points in the third quarter before taking its collective foot off the accelerator. The Rockets shot 53.4% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc.

Amen Thompson posted 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets in the win, and Fred VanVleet amassed a game-high 11 assists in his first regular-season action back after missing last season with a torn right ACL.

“The ball respects energy, and it’s contagious,” VanVleet said. “So when it’s moving and guys are moving and flowing, the shots get better quality and the shots tend to go in more.”

Durant lauded VanVleet for his calming influence and veteran leadership and expects the team’s comfort level to grow as the season continues.

“(There’s) times where we need to just get settled down and keep the ball in our hands and take a good shot,” Durant explained.

“So, just to have (VanVleet’s) presence out there is just making my life much easier. I know as we continue to get more reps together, I’ll get more comfortable and he’ll get more comfortable as well.” REUTERS