The San Antonio Spurs had their first encounter with last year’s second-round opponent and were able to take control in large part by running the simple play: giving it to Victor Wembanyama. He had a dazzling 43 points and six blocks, helping elevate the defense in the second half.
De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper were big-time as well, helping takedown the short-staffed Minnesota Timberwolves and they made three baskets apiece in the fourth quarter. If anyone missed the game because they went out for
Halloween and has access to a replay, do not deprive yourself of the surplus of highlights.
Screen-roll defense is one of the most important areas a team must thrive in to win since most teams run them so much or variations of it . Check out how Victor Wembanyama stays in between two offensive players, guarding them together and taking away the angle for the inside pass.
The acceleration is not the same, but this move reminds me of vintage Kevin Durant. Notice how Jonathan Kuminga is in the best position to help out, but quickly decides he wants no part of this. I get it. Imagine being on a poster and it ends up making the top 10 dunks of the season.
This was like watching a kid unsuccessfully try to score on their older sibling on a six-foot practice hoop, and Wemby’s grab makes it hilarious, while moving him up to fourth all-time in team blocks. He only needs 49 more to pass Artis Gilmore for the next spot .
Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes would be impressed with this putback.
It almost seems like Wemby improvised this in a half-second and it could’ve been a foul since Trey Lyles is in the restricted area, and he moved slightly to the side instead of vertically. This move was worth the price of admission by itself and it wouldn’t be a surprise if many of the children who saw this up close remember it forever.
I’ve seen enough and fully endorse Wembanyama isolating opposing big men on the perimeter when the team is in need of a bucket. There is not a big man with the size and foot speed to deal with this, so most of these misses would be on Wemby, similarly to how tons of hook shots Kareem Abdul-Jabbar missed had nothing to do with the defender.
The Spurs have not been a fast team through six games, but they are effective when they get in transition. A good example is Devin Vassell hitting Dylan Harper in stride, yet the best part is watching Joan Beringer try to speed up as the ball zips up the court.
Exhibit 647 of “there’s nothing to do about this.” Both Minnesota’s defenders covering this screen roll are in good position yet helpless against the vertical spacing. The most underrated part of this play is how Kuminga is locking-and-trailing Julian Champagnie, which is what one must do when the opponent is shooting 47.6 percent from 3-point range for the season.
Another screen roll, and Stephon Castle can make any pass to Wembanyama going downhill if there is no shot blocker present.
Harper’s game has a lot of sauce, and he is a cultured young man, bringing out the Michael Jordan shrug. Notably, Fox comes to set the screen on Kuminga, but then he realized that Harper doesn’t need the help and bails at the last moment.
I wonder what Dr. James Naismith would have thought about inverted screen rolls. This was just one of Wembanyama’s dozen baskets at the rim.
That’s a sweet left-handed finish for Vassell, who shoots out of the orthodox stance. Vassell mostly stayed out of the way as his teammates were balling, logging two baskets and two assists, yet one of each were on Saturday’s highlights.
This was Keldon Johnson’s only basket, but it was nice.
The game was up for the taking, then Kuminga wasted time with his behind-the-back dribble, letting Wemby catch up to him and keep in mind that most blocks happen at close range. The coolest part about the play is how the break was executed without a dribble, which was common when NBA players wore shorter shorts and converse dominated league footwear.
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