It's the basketball event in France, the arrival of Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs for two meetings in Paris against the Pacers. This is a first in the history of French basketball and the NBA: two regular season matches on French soil. Enthusiasm is logically in order, and for a short week, the capital will live to the rhythm of the NBA and “Wemby”.
Except that the Spurs arrive at the worst time. Mitch Johnson's players have three losses in a row, and even six defeats in their last seven outings, and they have fallen to 12th place in the West. Halfway through, the results are negative: 19 victories for 22 defeats.
“It's not our best period of basketball and there are things we need to improve on, and we played some really good teams that highlighted some of our weaknesses.”, notes Mitch Johnson. “We're looking forward to going to Paris, but I don't think we underestimated Miami or Memphis. »
The Wembanyama barometer
Like the whole team, Victor Wembanyama seems tired lately. Jostled, he only averaged 17.7 points over the last seven games, with 41% shooting success including 32% from 3-point range. His only match with more than 50% success? It was against the Lakers, during the Spurs' only victory over the period…
Sunday evening, the Frenchman planted 11 points at 4 out of 5 in the first quarter, then he followed it up with 0 out of 6 on shots in the second quarter, with an airball on his first shot.
For Mitch Johnson, his players are showing impatience. When things are bad, they rush and take shots that are not necessarily necessary. “Overall, that's probably our biggest problem: trying to score quickly to get back in the game. And that's something we need to be better at, and I need to get better at, too, preventing this from continuing to happen. »
Foundations laid for Tre Jones
The Spurs absolutely must finish in the Top 10 to compete for the play-in and give themselves a chance of returning to the playoffs. For this, it becomes almost imperative to win twice against the Pacers. Even if it will be on neutral ground, the Spurs will logically be supported by the French public, and Tre Jones ensures that the team remains on the right track, and that the most complicated thing is behind them.
“We were able to adapt very quickly”explains the leader about the incessant changes in the starting five, but also as coach with the taking over of Mitch Johnson. “The guys responded when we had injuries. Coach Johnson played a very important role for us, and the entire coaching staff stepped up to continue to prepare us well and help us learn and move forward. We are in a much better position now than at the start of the season. We are learning a lot, so I think it was a good first half of the season and, now, I hope we continue to build on this foundation. »
