The San Antonio Spurs entered the top-25 on Wednesday when it came to the longest losing streaks in NBA history. After dropping their contest against the Lakers that evening, Gregg Popovich’s team has now lost 18 games in a row, pushing their overall record to 3-20 and leaving plenty of questions about, and for, rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama Speaks About 18-Game Losing Streak
Victor Wembanyama on the Spurs recent struggles:
“The good thing is nobody doubts that in the long run we’ll be the winners… Of course, I hate losing. But I stay focused on the long-term goal.”
(via Andrew Lopez / ESPN) pic.twitter.com/H6ZkRXRDql
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 15, 2023
Wembanyama entered the season as the heavy favorite to win the Rookie of the Year Award. He received some of the most hype of any basketball prospect that we have seen since LeBron James, and the Spurs were the big winners on lottery night when they landed the rights to the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. They of course selected Wembanyama, who will be thought of as the franchise’s centerpiece for what they hope is 15+ productive and championship-winning years.
Things couldn’t have gotten off to much of a worse start in terms of the team’s overall performance thus far. Wembanyama is putting up impressive numbers through the first 22 games but has had some serious trouble with his shooting percentages thus far. Due to the rise of Chet Holmgren in Oklahoma City, Wembanyama is no longer the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, though he is an underdog by just the smallest of margins.
And of course, the team has lost 18 games in a row.
Serial Losing As A Rookie Can Be Detrimental
Wemby’s last 3 games:
30 PTS | 13 REB | 6 BLK
15 PTS | 18 REB | 5 BLK
21 PTS | 20 REB | 4 BLKWemby at center is a cheat code pic.twitter.com/7VFBaEn2Fg
— Spurs Culture (@SpursCulture) December 14, 2023
Getting in the habit of losing is not a good trait for a young, up-and-coming player. It can prove detrimental to their development and can create habitual negative practices, which can derail a career before it ever truly gets up and running.
But according to Victor Wembanyama himself, he doesn’t seem to be too worried about the long-term affects of the losing streak or his future standing with the team:
The good thing is nobody doubts that in the long run we’ll be the winners… Of course, I hate losing. But I stay focused on the long-term goal.
One of the traits of Wembanyama’s that was attractive to NBA teams was his maturity, and it seems as though he has his head in the right place when it comes to dealing with adversity early in his career. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have one of the greatest ever mentors and coaches leading his through his rookie campaign, either.
The Spurs will look to avoid getting to the 19-straight loss mark when they take on the Lakers again on Friday evening.
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