If there was any fear about Victor Wembanyama’s adjustment to the NBA, it had to do with his frame. Wembanyama is one of the NBA’s tallest players at 7-foot-3, but he is very skinny for his height and will almost certainly bulk up with more time in San Antonio’s strength and conditioning program. For now, he is vulnerable to stronger players, especially when they’re willing to get a little dirty.
That happened on Wednesday as Wembanyama’s Spurs faced the Los Angeles Clippers. As Wembanyama attempted to get into position to rebound a Harrison Barnes 3-point attempt, Clippers center Ivica Zubac gave him a shove in the back that sent him tumbling to the floor.
Wembanyama did not take this sitting down, though. He immediately flew back up, and his teammates and coaches needed to hold him back from pursuing the 7-foot, 240-pound Zubac after the Clippers called timeout.
Ultimately, there was no direct confrontation with Zubac. The two were seen sharing a post-game hug and there were seemingly no hard feelings after the Clippers’ 128-116 win. No technical foul was called on the play, though replay shows that one probably should have been. Regardless, no lasting harm was done.
If anything, this was a heartening moment for Spurs fans in regards to Wembanyama’s response. He may still be vulnerable to bulkier players like Zubac, but he’s certainly willing to stand up for himself when players like that use their physicality to go after him. His body may need a bit of work before he’s ready to stand up to some of the NBA’s strongest players, but his attitude is exactly where it needs to be.
