SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The problem with Victor Wembanyama, if you can even call it that, is that his options seem endless.

You can watch him on a Sunday night in Sacramento, where his Spurs staged a comeback, beating the Kings 127-125 and improving to 11-9 in the process, and let your mind focus on all the things he has not do while taking many of the things he Is do – often in spectacular ways – of course.

That’s the downside of size for any player of his ilk, but it’s even more true for this 6-foot-3, 235-pound 20-year-old who boasts an unparalleled combination of size and skill. The subtlety is part of his evaluation process, because almost nothing is beyond his reach – in the truest sense of the word. And this phenomenon, which interim coach Mitch Johnson later confirmed was not a figment of my imagination, is the only reasonable explanation for his third career triple-double (34 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, the highest of his career) felt and at times unfulfilling before the fourth quarter ended impressively.

Why was he firing all those 3s from Tower Bridge instead of taking advantage of inconsistencies against the Kings guards in the post? Why did he allow Kings big man Domantas Sabonis to pull him off the field so many times in the first half, practically inviting Sacramento to keep going in the back door as they were outscored by as many as 16 points in the second quarter lead? On so many evenings the questions are there because it seems like perfection is involved. This in turn means that the reflection sometimes overshadows the remarkable impact he achieves.

Those of us who were there in person to see its inconsistency French national team Anyone who is there during the Olympic Games is very familiar with this enigmatic viewing experience. Watching Wembanyama is like playing NBA2K with the best players of all time, only to realize that you’re not yet good enough at the game to take full advantage of the incredible talent at your disposal. Defensive dominance is almost always present, with opposing players avoiding Wembanyama on this side like they were the kids from Stranger Things fleeing the Mind Flayer.

Next thing you know, Wembanyama’s team is playing the Americans in the gold medal game (despite… LeBron James’and many other well-documented doubts). Or, as was the case against the Kings, he comes up big in the fourth quarter of a big win (13 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks) and makes you forget that his first half wasn’t too bad either ( 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one block).

“I thought he had some very weak moments in the first three quarters as far as fundamentals and solid basketball,” said Johnson, who has taken over for Gregg Popovich since the legendary coach suffered a stroke on Nov. 2. “And it’s a testament to him and his ability to lock himself in (that he figured it out). I thought he was a man in the fourth quarter. And I thought he dominated. He’s so good, but mastering the fundamentals for him – the catches, the passes, the solid stuff – is (the key). It’s still spectacular, but if he can do it, it’s a huge achievement.”

TRIPLE-DOUBLE NIGHT FOR @wemby 🙌

34 PTS, 14 REB, 11 AST pic.twitter.com/E114s8Je1D

—San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 2, 2024

The dilemma – and actually the frightening thing for the rest of the league – is that Wembanyama is the rare athlete who is still developing rapidly while already dominating.

“He can do anything,” Johnson continued. “And when you have so many options on the menu, it’s hard to believe that you’re going to choose the right one every time. He is a young player learning how to use all the weapons he has. And so I think there’s obviously a lot of faith and a lot of support for him as he learns when and where to use all of these weapons. And I think that if he keeps holding himself accountable for the most basic, simple things, those things go away.”

Thank you to Johnson for his willingness to tell the truth rather than opt for the late-night confirmation that would be politically safer. That’s what Popovich certainly expects from the 39-year-old assistant who has been on his staff since 2018, and what the 75-year-old Wembanyama will hopefully give himself when he’s back on the bench. While team sources said there is no timetable for a return for Popovich, the league’s all-time winningest coach continues to make progress and the organization remains hopeful that he will indeed resume the role he has held since 1996.

As Popovich knows as well as anyone, there is still plenty to choose from in Wembanyama’s game. His heavy reliance on the 3-pointer has drawn some criticism, as his attempts have nearly doubled since last season (5.5 per game as a rookie compared to 9.2 now).

Among the top 13 3-point volume shooters, Wembanyama has the third worst percentage so far (35 percent, with Luka Dončić of the Mavericks at 32.9 percent and Tyrese Maxey of the Sixers at 33.3). On the other hand, in the win against the Kings, he showed how worthy this distance pursuit is by hitting a total of five of nine three-pointers.

As Wembanyama recounted in his fascinating post-match media session, he regularly relies on Spurs’ video department to show him the kind of clips that help him understand when and where he is at his best. He declined to name specific employees who have helped him the most, pointing out that it would be unfair to name just one or two, but made it clear that he spends a lot of time detailing all the relevant details of his game to investigate.

“Of course we’ll watch the game again,” said Wembanyama. “I personally like getting a lot of content from the video room. They do a great job of targeting specific areas and specific types of games that we need to get better at. I really liked that so far this season. Every time they gave me advice or content to watch, it was very targeted. It worked.

“I asked them before every game to send me a tape of our last game or games and show me what worked for us and what helped us. It’s simple information, easy to process and easy to reproduce on the field.”

Of all the aspects of Wembanyama’s game that he is trying to improve, he stressed that his playmaking is the top priority at the moment.

“It’s still something I’m becoming more and more comfortable with,” he said. “With a large number of double teams, I think it’s my responsibility to capitalize on it even more.”

His actions on that front showed even more than his words, as Wembanyama’s best late-game moments all came from passing.

A Cross court dime to Devin Vassell That led to a corner 3 and a 118-113 lead with 2:49 left. A Quick pass to Chris Paul on top That led to him being three and five points ahead with 20 seconds left. On both possessions, Wembanyama missed the opportunity to deal with the Kings’ guards – Malik Monk and then De’Aaron Fox – on the block and decided to find the open shooter. There was one in between Block of a DeMar DeRozan drive for good measure.

But of all the hits he made, none was more absurd than the offensive rebound with nine seconds left that was like something straight out of “Inspector Gadget.” Wembanyama used these “Go-go, gadget arms.” to reach over Sabonis’ shoulder and pass Keldon Johnson’s missed free throw to him, and Paul finished it off with two free throws when the Kings had to commit a foul. There was nothing flashy about the piece, but it was his final reminder that he can simply do things that others can’t.

And isn’t that the point we must not overlook?

Chances are Wembayama will make any skeptics look silly when he’s done. He’s a second-year player who’s averaging a league-leading 24.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.5 blocks and, as of early December, his team already had half of its wins from all of last season achieved (the Spurs achieved a record of 22-60). ).

The progress on all fronts cannot be ignored and it seems only a matter of time before he is considered the league’s top talent. Especially as he fills his frame and becomes wiser with each passing year.

That evening, amidst all the decisions that seemed to make so little sense, one of Wembanyama’s best performances to date unfolded, the Spurs big man didn’t hesitate to have the final say.

“The triple-double was, as I said, just a byproduct of the right decisions,” he said.

To be honest, star players’ problems can hardly be smaller.

(Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)