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Michael C. Wright
LAS VEGAS — Victor Wembanyama played limited minutes off the bench in San Antonio’s win over Oklahoma City in the semifinals of the Emirates NBA Cup, and Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said the team is working through the possibility of employing a similar approach in Tuesday’s championship game.
«It’s going to be a mix of different opinions,» Wembanyama said. «But I’m ready. Even I will have my own opinion [about what to do]. It will also be based on my thoughts and the thoughts of the staff. I just said a bunch of nothing. But basically, we’re going to discuss it.»
Coming off the bench for the first time in his career, Wembanyama returned from a 12-game absence Saturday against the Thunder and played 21 minutes, racking up 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, while the rest of the team combined for 18 points in the final frame.
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The Frenchman didn’t check into the contest until the start of the second quarter with Oklahoma City leading by 11 points. Wembanyama’s first three possessions resulted in a trio of rebounds, a tip-in layup and an assist to Dylan Harper for a 3-pointer. The 21-year old hit 2 of 3 in the second quarter for five points as San Antonio cut the Thunder lead to just 3 points at intermission.
«I know Vic wanted to get out there and play more, but we’re focused on his long-term [health],» guard Devin Vassell said. «I trust in Mitch 100%. They had the perfect plan. I know they talked about it over and over, and we executed it. As soon as Vic came in, he had the impact that we needed.»
A similar strategy could unfold Tuesday against the New York Knicks.
«It’ll be something that Victor and I will continue to talk through,» Johnson said. «It’s hard. He wants to play. He wants to start. He wants to finish. Wherever you put some minutes, that means you have less over there. We still have to think about what’s best for the team, unfortunately. That decision can’t be made in a vacuum, even though it’s a very impactful and influential decision. We still have to make sure it fits with the other rollout of who’s playing with who and how that affects others.»
Despite the time missed, Wembanyama maintains eligibility for postseason awards. Even though the NBA Cup championship won’t count on San Antonio’s win-loss record, it counts towards award eligibility for the Frenchman.
The Spurs strategized in the NBA Cup semifinals to maximize Wembanyama’s minutes restriction. After playing a little more than 7 minutes in the first half, Wembanyama played 13:20 over the third and fourth quarters.
«We’re not at a stage where we will be unintentional with his minutes, whether that’s volume over time [or] long stints,» Johnson said. «But we want to make sure we’ve learned or continue to learn from what has happened. That doesn’t mean we have the answers. But we don’t just say, ‘Oh, now we’re back,’ or whatever. We are still learning and want to be very mindful of that.»
