Victor Wembanyama returned to the lineup for the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, helping his team take down the Utah Jazz on the road. But on Monday night, Wembanyama was out, and the Spurs were forced to battle it out against the Phoenix Suns without him. Luckily, they stepped up to the plate and earned a win.
But with Wembanyama out, the Spurs are forced to face some challenges that are made easier when he’s available to play. Most notably, they need to put forth some extra effort in the paint, as Wembanyama’s presence down there is a game-changer, especially on the glass.
After the game, Zach Collins spoke about how the Spurs need to step up in the rebounding department when Wembanyama is out. (H/t Jonah Kubicek of Inside the Spurs)
“I think for us, again, it’s physicality, it’s everyone taking on the challenge and then we have to rebound when he’s not there,” said Collins. “That’s another thing, too, that he [Wembanyama] can just grab rebounds that nobody else can grab so that’s big for us.”
With Wembanyama sidelined, the Spurs still managed to outrebound the Suns 47-40.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]