Wemby baffled by challenge at rim
Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama finished with five blocks in the Spurs’ 118-111 win over Utah on Wednesday night, but a case can be made that he should have had even more.
With 7.2 seconds left and the Spurs nursing a 117-111 lead, Taylor Hendricks soared for a dunk only to be met at the rim by both Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan, who received credit for the block in the official play-byplay.
Replays showed Wembanyama may have actually touched the ball first, but it was Sochan who forcefully swatted it away.
Either way, it was a mistake by Hendricks to challenge them, Wembanyama said.
“Regardless of the challenge of sometimes wanting to dunk on your opponent, it was a bad choice, I think,” Wembanyama said. “You got to be smart.”
Spurs guard Devin Vassell also shook his head at Hendricks’ decision to go up against Wembanyama when the 7-foot-3 center was positioned in front of the basket.
“He went to go dunk on him, and we know that’s not going to happen,” Vassell said.
Wembanyama, who leads the NBA in blocks with a 3.5 average, has recorded at least one block in 32 games in a row. Wednesday marked his 21st game with five or more rejections.
“I get on him sometimes, I say, ‘Vic, why didn’t you block that shot? ’ and he’s already had five or six blocks,” Vassell said. “It’s just crazy the stuff we ask of him and expect of him, but he’s put himself at that level. We expect it from him night in and night out.”
Jazz coach could see Pop finishing contract
The five-year, $80 million-plus contract that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich signed last summer would allow him to earn out the deal even if he doesn’t coach the full five years.
That’s because Popovich, 75, also serves as the franchise’s president of basketball operations.
But Jazz coach Will Hardy, a former Spurs assistant, said Wednesday he wouldn’t bet against Popovich continuing as coach through the length of the deal.
“Pop is an animal,” said Hardy, who spent six years as one of Popovich’s lieutenants before leaving in 2021 to become an assistant in Boston. “There are few people on this planet I would never doubt. He is one of them.”
Hardy began his stint with the Spurs as a basketball operations intern in 2010 and was promoted to assistant video coordinator in 2011. In 2013, the Spurs promoted Hardy to video coordinator, a post he held until 2015. He became an assistant coach in September 2016 after serving as the summer league coach in Utah for two years, a task he performed through 2019.
“I was lucky enough to work for (Popovich) for 11 years,” Hardy said. “His energy every day, his competitiveness every day is not something I would bet against. At this point, I would say, yeah, I could definitely see him completing that (deal as coach). Obviously, it would be a question better served for him, but based on my experience with Pop, I am absolutely not going to bet against his toughness, his competitiveness and energy.”
Players show support for G League squad
Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and Julian Champagnie easily could have stayed at their hotel room Tuesday night, watched some TV and called it an early night for some much-needed rest.
But instead of kicking back, they journeyed over to the Delta Center to support the Austin Spurs in their game against the Salt Lake City Stars on a rare night when the Spurs were in the same city as their G League affiliate.
That Johnson, Sochan and Co. would spend their night off rooting on Austin says a lot about the supportive, inclusive culture the Spurs enjoy.
“I appreciate them showing us some love,” said secondround rookie forward Siddy Cissoko, who the Spurs recalled for Wednesday’s game after he finished with 22 points, five rebounds and two assists in Austin’s 113-108 loss Tuesday night. “I love them. We are brothers. We had a tough game and we are trying to make the playoffs, so they did a great job to support us.”
Mamukelashvili recalled the support he received from Milwaukee Bucks players when he was in the G League.
“I used to play in the G League and I used to love when my Bucks teammates would come and support me,” he said. “I understand how it is. It is a long season for them with a lot of ups and downs. I feel like they are the warriors who go out there and hoop every day no matter what.”