Wemby committed to strong finish
SAN ANTONIO — The last component of the French motto “liberty, equality and fraternity” came to mind Monday night in the way Victor Wembanyama answered a question about how much he wants to play out the remainder of the season.
“It’s no question for me,” he said. “How much do I want it? As much as I wanted it all season. I have this responsibility towards my team.”
Even with a busy summer looming that will include his likely participation in the Paris Olympics, Wembanyama isn’t looking for any rest as his rookie season winds down. He wants to show up for each of the remaining games locked arm in arm with his teammates until the season ends at home against Detroit on April 14.
Through Monday, the all-but-certain league rookie of the year had played in 57 of the Spurs’ 65 games. He returned to post 27 points and 14 rebounds in 31 minutes of the 112-102 loss to Golden State at the Frost Bank Center after missing the two previous games with a sprained right ankle.
The loss to the Warriors was the first game in a back-to-back that ended with the Spurs hosting Houston on Tuesday night.
That Wembanyama has stacked up so many games and is ready for more is testament to his commitment to maintaining a strict training regiment. It also underscores the support he’s received from the Spurs medical and athletic performance staffs, which includes Guillaume Alquier, his trusted strength and conditioning coach who the team hired in October before the start of the season.
“He is one of my best allies,” Wembanyama said of Alquier after a game in November.
Alquier has worked closely with Wembanyama daily to ensure the 20year-old does everything possible to maintain his fitness and increase his strength. Alquier spent last season working with Wembanyama as the strength-and-conditioning coach for the Metropolitans 92 of the French League.
“He must be by far the person I have spent the most time in the last 16 months — more than my mom, more than my siblings,” Wembanyama said. “Of course, we get along well.”
Given the rigors of the NBA travel, a lot of their work has been done on the fly.
“I would say the biggest adjustment is no matter the circumstances we have to do what we can and do a lot because we are not going to have quality time all the time,” Wembanyama said. “For example, we might have to take a nap on the bus or eat snacks somewhere. So quality is always important, but we also have to do a lot of a quantity, game ready (preparations), ice, pressure, everything.”
The Spurs’ state-ofthe-art medical facilities at the Victory Capital Performance Center have also been a factor in Wembanyama staying on course fitness-wise.
“Everything here is done with a purpose,” he said during training camp. “I remember last year (with the Metropolitans 92) it was a really, really nice year, but it was also tough because we didn’t have the same infrastructure, we couldn’t run the same (physical and medical) tests. I learned as much about my body in these past three months than I have in the past five years. We work smarter because we know a lot more. The Spurs know a lot more than any of my teams before because they can run tests more thoroughly.”
Wembanyama has also benefited from his relationship with Spurs Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili, who is in his third year as the club’s special advisor to basketball operations.
“He’s given me advice on things both inside and outside basketball, such as how to manage my home, training, and so on,” Wembanyama said. “He often comes to practices and gives technical advice. It’s great to see how committed he is.”
The Spurs feel the same way about Wembanyama.
“His maturity is obvious,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s got the whole package to become a great player. It’s just a matter of discipline, consistency, understanding the league and refining some things. He’s a pretty special guy.”