San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was held in check, at least by his own lofty standards, during Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals. After the game, he admitted his disappointment, but the reason for it might not be an expected one.
Wembanyama scored 26 points in the Spurs’ 123-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Tex., but only grabbed four rebounds with two blocks. After the game, he admitted that he felt he was failing when it came to making the rest of his teammates better.
“I feel like I have trouble making my teammates better right now,” Wembanyama said. “My shooting splits aren’t terrible. I need to be more of a team player.”
Wemby: "I feel like I have trouble making my teammates better right now…I need to be more of a team player" pic.twitter.com/PgupHxMTlO
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 23, 2026
Wembanyama shot 8/15 in Game 3, so he is right that his shooting has been fine. If anything, the Spurs would probably like him to be taking more than 15 field goals, but the Thunder have done well to stifle the space Wembanyama has to work with.
One could argue Wembanyama’s mentality here is one place where he still has space to grow. The center is still thinking about what his teammates need when others believe he needs to take on more of the offensive load. It is entirely plausible that the best way for Wembanyama to make his teammates better would be to seize control of the game himself and let everything run through him.
