The San Antonio Spurs shocked the basketball world on Dec. 13, taking down the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals. Now, they are just one win away from earning the NBA Cup title and earning an additional $530,933 each.
Of course, that’s easier said than done, and their opponent in the championship game, the New York Knicks, are no push-over. The Spurs know they can’t take it easy against the Knicks; they’ll have to pull out all the stops once again in order to emerge victorious. But could that actually mean keeping their best player out of the starting lineup?
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama played limited minutes during the semifinal victory over the Thunder. Now, head coach Mitch Johnson has expressed that the team is considering employing a similar strategy in the NBA Cup final.
‘It’ll be something that Victor and I will continue to talk through,’ Johnson said Monday, Dec. 15, according to ESPN. ‘It’s hard. He wants to play. He wants to start. He wants to finish. … 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.’
How did Wembanyama do in the semifinal game?
Wembanyama returned from a 12-game absence on Saturday to participate in the semifinal against Oklahoma City. Wembanyama came off the bench for the first time in his career. Still, the third-year pro played 21 minutes and racked up 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. The rest of the Spurs compiled just 18 points combined in the fourth.
‘I trust in Mitch 100 percent. They had the perfect plan,’ Spurs guard Devin Vassell told ESPN. ‘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.’
Despite the success, the Spurs might limit Wembanyama again, promoting his long-term health above winning the NBA Cup.
‘It’s going to be a mix of different opinions,’ Wembanyama said Monday, according to ESPN. ‘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. But basically, we’re going to discuss it.’
Will Wembanyama be limited to 21 minutes again?
Head coach Mitch Johnson says that the team cannot afford to be ‘uninentional’ with Wembanyama’s minutes right now. Having learned from Wembanyama’s past injury struggles, the team has already worked on finding a path for Wemby to play as many minutes as possible with as little stress on his body as possible as well.
Although Johnson never offered a plan for Wemby Monday, it stands to reason that his minutes will be dictated by the flow of the game. On Saturday, Wembanyama did not check-in until the start of the second quarter. He only played seven minutes in the first half, before tallying nearly 13.5 minutes in the second half. The Spurs were trailing by 11 before Wembanyama came in and were still trailing at the start of the third quarter. Should the Spurs struggle to keep pace with New York, it’s likely that Wembanyama’s minutes could increase as the game wears on.
Wembanyama’s on/off court splits
Wembanyama’s presence can be felt on the floor. This year, when Wembanyama is on the court, opponents are averaging 105.4 points per 100 possessions, compared to 120.6 when Wembanyama is on the bench.
The Spurs have managed a stellar 9-3 record without Wembanyama this year, but it’s obvious that the team would rather have the DPOY frontrunner manning the glass tomorrow.