Beyond the court, Victor Wembanyama reveals his intense off-court training regimen, revealing a dedication to peak physical and mental conditioning.
The San Antonio Spurs are coming off a dominant 145-120 win over the Houston Rockets. The Spurs, as a team, shot a remarkable 52.5% from 3-point range while holding the Rockets to just eight made shots from distance.
The Spurs were led by 23 points from Victor Wembanyama, to go with eight rebounds, four blocks, and two steals.
In last week's win over the Detroit Pistons, Wembanyama played 38 minutes. After the following game, a 25-point comeback over the Los Angeles Clippers, he admitted that he had nothing left.
Against the Rockets, Wembanyama played 30 minutes and seemed more active than usual on the sidelines.
Wembanyama Gets Exercise In During Down Time
As players prepare to leave the bench and return to the game, it's common to see them stretching or getting loose on an exercise bike. Wembanyama is no different, although against the Rockets, he spent more time in the tunnel than on the bench.
Behind the scenes, he was stretching, doing some light cardio, resistance band work, and doing sit-ups with a weighted ball. It wasn't a full workout, but it seemed more intense than most players' routines.
After his blood clot scare last season, Wemby seems even more driven to take care of his body.
"The main thing is conditioning, you know, how my conditioning evolves," he explained. "And if you get enough rest and you do the right things, you take care of your body enough during the season, your conditioning gets better. It's not like your shape gets worse and worse. Your conditioning gets better."
It's a well-known fact that Wembanyama is one of the most disciplined players in the NBA, and he values sleep and recovery more than most players. It would seem that any "downtime" he gets is spent working on his body, ensuring that he can have a long and successful career.
"When you combine this with the study of the game, film, and a will to not repeat the mistakes many times, you do get better," he added. "And I feel like I got better and I got more comfortable and more in control."
Wembanyama can only miss four games before he is ineligible for individual awards this season, but he seems more committed than ever to remaining on the court deep into the season and well into the playoffs.
