The San Antonio Spurs are 10-3 this season without Victor Wembanyama on the floor, and they credit an ability for everyone to step up for their success.
The San Antonio Spurs are 10-3 in games without Victor Wembanyama this season after beating the Indiana Pacers on Friday, 123-113.
In the past two seasons, the biggest flaw the Spurs had (among many) was adjusting to minutes and lineups without Wembanyama on the floor. This season, they are still clearly at their best when he's impacting both ends of the court, although they have been able to weather several storms.
When Wembanyama is out, Keldon Johnson, Dylan Harper, De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, and Stephon Castle have all taken turns leading the team in scoring.
While the Spurs have made it no secret that they prefer to play with their best player in the lineup, they've made the long-needed adjustments.
"That speaks to the preparation," said Dylan Harper after the most recent win. "I think just us going in with that mindset, you know, obviously that's a big piece. I mean, he takes up half the floor. He draws three defenders every time. But, I mean, just not having him, I think just us stepping up as a team, just putting our foot down and knowing that we're just going to pick him up while he's down. Because when he gets back, I mean, freak of nature."
Of course, the Spurs have added All-Star talent in Fox and excellent young players in Castle and Harper, who are capable of carrying the superstar burden on any given night. On top of that, Luke Kornet is the best backup center the Spurs have had in the Wemby era, so he allows for the team to be extra cautious.
Wembanyama's missing the showdown against the Pacers was nothing more than a precaution. The Spurs were heavy favorites no matter which lineup they trotted out, and they have a back-to-back against the Portland Trail Blazers tonight, so asking Wembanyama to travel to Indiana was deemed unnecessary.
When the playoffs roll around, expect the Spurs to ask more from Wembanyama. For now, when the stakes are lower, the supporting cast has proven time and time again that they can not only stay afloat when he's out but thrive. Harper, of course, isn't Wembanyama's most frequent running mate by nature of coming off the bench, so he's been in a position to thrive without his best teammate.