The San Antonio Spurs dropped Game 2 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Spurs' bench came out flat. Victor Wembanyama believes that everyone on the roster needs to be held to the same standard.
The San Antonio Spurs dropped Game 2 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, evening up their Western Conference Finals matchup.
Their effort was not helped by injuries, as De'Aaron Fox didn't suit up and Dylan Harper left the game in the third quarter. On top of that, Stephon Castle was unable to take care of the ball, and the Spurs failed to impose their will on the glass.
While the turnovers didn't help, Victor Wembanyama doesn't think the team as a whole rose to the occasion. He was ice-cold in the first half and finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
If the Spurs are to steal the series, everyone has to be on the same page.
Wemby Points Blame After Loss
The OKC Thunder are one of the deepest teams in the league, and usually, the Spurs can go player for player with them.
In Game 2, OKC used seven different bench players. The Spurs only used five, and got outscored 57-25
"We need consistency," Wemby said in French after the game. "The depth of the bench is one of our strengths. We must play fast, but we can't play fast if we don't defend. If we lose the ball, it's they who benefit from that. [Depth is] a strength shared by our teams, but they had the advantage on that point today."
Wembanyama usually isn't one to shirk responsibility, but when the second unit as a whole failed to show up (aside from shooting, where they went five-of-eight from deep), the Spurs are in trouble.
Especially after a double-overtime battle in Game 1, the Spurs needed their second unit to step up, show out, and keep the team afloat. Instead, the Spurs looked like the worst version of themselves when Wembanyama and Harper went out.
In both games, Mitch Johnson has used a tight rotation, although with limited rest between games and an extra-physical opponent, giving the bench a longer run (provided they look good) should allow the starters to catch a break, too.
Luckily, the Spurs' bench has been pretty consistent all season long, so there's no reason to think they won't bounce back on Friday night for Game 3 in front of a solid out Frost Bank Center crowd.
