Spurs, Mitch Johnson names Victor Wembanyama’s top Game 6 need vs. Thunder originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
At certain points of the NBA Playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs looked invincible. There was not a team that could match the prowess of Victor Wembanyama but it seems like the Oklahoma City Thunder have them figured out. All of a sudden, they are in do-or-die Game 6 scenario. They do still have a shot at extending their postseason run but Coach Mitch Johnson knows that one attribute from their star player needs to surface first.
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Game 5 was rough for Victor Wembanyama. Coach Mitch Johnson entrusted him to play a team-high 38 minutes for the Spurs but all efforts fell short. They gave up the 3-2 series lead to the Thunder after a horrid 127-114 loss. The Spurs now have to adjust if they want to avoid elimination and all their hopes rest on the hands of Wembanyama.
What do they need from Wembanyama in Game 6? Coach Johnson made it very simple. The Spurs superstar needs to assert himself more against the Thunder, via Christian Clark of The Athletic.
“He has to take more than 15 shots, even with the free throws. He’s going to have to score more than 20 points, for sure,” the Spurs head coach said.
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There is a lot of truth in Coach Johnson’s analysis after Game 5. The Thunder sent a lot of bodies to prevent Wembanyama from impacting the game. He was only able to score 20 points with 12 of those points coming from the free throw line. Otherwise, the Spurs superstar had a rough outing highlighted by going 26.7% in all of his field goals.
Wembanyama was still able to get six rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and an assist despite his poor shooting night. But the Spurs needed him to pop off on offense. In a pivotal Game 5 during the NBA Playoffs, Coach Johnson only saw four of his players score 15 points or more. None of them were able to break the 25-point mark too.
The obvious goal is to win Game 6 and keep their NBA Playoffs hopes alive. It will all have to start with Wembanyama aggressively positioning himself to score, else the Spurs will just have to try again next year.
