22-Point Average: Wembanyama Drives Spurs Preseason Grind After Final Loss

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama spent much of the offseason sleepless, replaying the team's recent loss to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.

The 2.24-meter center adheres to a strict routine that includes a 9:00 p.m. bedtime, specific diet, and exercise protocols. Those rigid habits were disrupted by difficult nights as he processed the defeat. Wembanyama described the experience during San Antonio’s media day on Monday. He said emotions can be hard to manage and sometimes linger. "But the reason is simply a point where you accept that you have to go through it and you have to feel everything," he stated. He added that the team is not hiding from those feelings. They are facing the reality of having 100 regular season games and more than 100 total games including the postseason. The group enters the season with hope and ambition.

Recovery for Wembanyama involved disciplined social time. He invited teammates to Paris in August for a series of workouts. This trip served as both a rest and a team-building exercise. Spurs guard Dylan Harper described the value of being together. "Obviously, it’s good to take a break, but simply having all the guys again in the same room and sharing bread between us was probably the best part of being in Paris," Harper said. Wembanyama placed his hand on his heart when discussing the Paris trip, indicating its emotional weight for him.

After the Paris sessions, Wembanyama trained with Provence Rugby in Aix-en-Provence. The goal was to improve his lower body strength and ability to absorb physical contact. This unconventional approach fits the player’s history. Last preseason, he spent two weeks training at the Shaolin Temple in China. Since being selected first overall in the 2023 draft, Wembanyama has maintained that the standard for him and San Antonio is to be the best.

The stakes of the previous season were high. Few expected a young roster led by the 22-year-old Wembanyama to reach the Finals. Wembanyama averaged 26 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks against New York. San Antonio lost the series in five games. The Spurs blew double-digit leads in every loss. In Game 4, New York erased a 29-point deficit to win 107-106, marking the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. This outcome echoed the 2013 Finals, where San Antonio lost a five-point lead in the final seconds of Game 6. Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich used that 2013 pain to fuel the 2014 championship run.

The Spurs are now using a similar emotional fuel. Julian Champagnie, a Spurs forward, noted that the team reached the destination it wanted but still needs to win. He said the team has a chance to do it again and control what is controllable. "So I think definitely we’re going to use last year to help us overcome a lot of things this year and get to where we want to get to," Champagnie said. Wembanyama believes the pain of the loss will drive the team. "I can’t imagine a better motivation," he affirmed.

The Spurs will begin their regular season schedule shortly, aiming to convert the intensity of the preseason into wins on the court.