Elijah Southwick
@ecsouthwick
The New York Knicks spoiled Victor Wembanyama’s big apple debut on Wednesday night. Winning by a score of 126-105, the Knicks improved to 4-4 and dropped the Spurs to 3-5.
Wembanyama, 19, was relatively quiet in the loss. The French rookie scored 14 points on just 4-14 shooting from the field, and going 0-4 from three point range. He recorded nine rebounds, two assists, and a block.
The Knicks separated themselves throughout the game with solid three point shooting. Their 19 three pointers on 45.2% shooting outclassed the Spurs’ 9 three pointers on just 26.5% shooting. Knicks starting guards Jalen Brunson, R.J. Barrett and Quentin Grimes combined for 12 threes and 57 points.
“What am I seeing? I’m seeing people score 120 and 130 (against our defense),” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said following the loss. “That’s what I’m seeing.”
For the Spurs, Wednesday’s loss is a tough reminder that they have a long road to contention in the Western Conference despite the arrival of Wembanyama. He’s one of the best draft prospects the NBA has seen since LeBron James, but at just 19 years old and only eight games into his career, he’s clearly working to find consistent success from an individual perspective.
As a team, it may still be several seasons before the Spurs surround Wembanyama with a roster strong enough to become playoff contenders. But a 3-5 start is a reason for optimism after going just 22-60 last season, the second-worst record in the league. But with Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich developing his young roster, their time could come sooner than many expect.
The Knicks on the other hand are hoping that their 2022-23 season was just the beginning. After winning a playoff series for the first time since 2013, the Knicks look ready to compete again in the top heavy Eastern Conference this season. By taking care of business against teams like the Spurs, they’ll have a chance to improve upon their 47-35 record from a year ago and potentially make a playoff run.