A look at all of Victor Wembenyama's shots in the Spurs 116-104 loss to the Thunder

After taking it on the chin in Tuesday night's season opener against the Thunder, a 116-104 loss, Victor Wembanyama told the media, “I need to go back to playing the basketball I like. I have no reason to be hesitant, no reason to not be myself. For me, it's as simple as that. I'm good when I have fun.” 

That choice of words implies Wembanyama didn't have much fun Tuesday night, and how could he? Wemby finished 1 for 13 from the field, converting his only basket on an alley-oop from De'Aaron Fox at the end of the third quarter. The Spurs trailed by as many as 26 points before making a second-half run to cut the deficit to single digits, but they never quite got over the hump. 

Those are heavy words from Wembanyama after the first game of a long season. We know he's a deep thinker who expects greatness from himself, and clearly, he didn't meet his own standards Tuesday night. He went on to say, “I wasn't decisive. I might be overthinking it. What I have to do is really let go. I don't need to do more, I need to think less probably.”

Let's look at all 13 of Wembanyama's field-goal attempts from Tuesday night and break them down. Was it a product of good defense, was Victor settling, or was it some combination of the two? He did finish 10 for 12 from the free-throw line to reach 12 points, so it's not as if he was completely disengaged or unwilling to attack. We'll focus on his field-goal attempts that didn't result in free throws.

Shot 1: Wembanyama gets the ball on the left wing, 5 feet behind the 3-point line, guarded by Isiah Hartenstein with seven seconds left on the shot clock. He waves off a pick-and-roll and calls for an isolation. After a couple of crossovers, he can't get past Hartenstein and is forced into a tough 18-foot pull-up jumper as the shot clock expires. 0 for 1.

Shot 2: He catches the ball on the left block, just outside the paint, matched up against Hartenstein again. He takes one hard dribble into Hartenstein's chest, then fades away and misses a 6-foot jumper as he falls to the floor. He doesn't make an obvious plea for a foul afterward, but his shot selection suggests he may have been looking for one. 0 for 2.

Shot 3: He grabs an offensive rebound over Chet Holmgren in the paint but misses a putback layup he makes nine times out of 10. 0 for 3.

Shot 4: A quick catch-and-shoot opportunity from the top of the key results in a missed 26-foot 3-pointer. It's not a bad shot, depending on how you feel about a 7-foot-6 player taking 3-pointers. 0 for 4. 

Shot 5: Wembanyama juggles an offensive rebound that he never fully controls but tries to tip back in, as only someone with his size and reach can. Holmgren blocks the attempt, but it still counts as a missed field goal. 0 for 5.

Shot 6: Another catch-and-shoot attempt, this time from 17 feet over a contest from Holmgren. There are seven seconds left on the shot clock, so theoretically, Wembanyama has time to attack the rim. Still, it's not an awful shot. 0 for 6.

Shot 7: Wembanyama grabs a defensive rebound and takes the ball coast to coast. He drives at Holmgren, spins back near the free-throw line and attempts a tough 3-foot pull-up jumper. Holmgren defends it well and blocks the shot. 0 for 7.

Shot 8: In a pick-and-pop with Fox, Wembanyama gets a good look at a 27-foot 3-pointer from the top of the key. It's another decent opportunity, but the shot isn't close, clanking off the backboard before touching the rim. 0 for 8.

Shot 9: An alley-oop attempt off a pass from Fox gets blocked at the rim by rookie Aday Mara. It's a great defensive play by the Spaniard. 0 for 9.

Shot 10: Wembanyama catches the ball at the right elbow with Mara defending him. He faces up, dribbles left toward the middle of the key, gives a little shimmy and goes up for a left-handed layup from about 2 feet. The shot misses, but it's a good look and a strong attack. It's the kind of shot he normally makes, and it's preferable to settling for a jumper. 0 for 10.

Shot 11: Trailing the play, Wembanyama gets a wide-open 27-foot 3-point look from the top of the key after Fox forces Mara to help on the drive. It's about as open a shot as a player can get in the NBA. He simply misses it. 0 for 11.

Shot 12: Another pick-and-pop 3-pointer from the top of the key, this time with a late contest from Mara after he helps on a drive. It's another decent look, but Wembanyama misses from 26 feet. 0 for 12.

Shot 13: Wembanyama catches an alley-oop pass from Fox and finishes easily as the third quarter expires, finally getting on the board. 1 for 13.

So, in review, Wembanyama's performance wasn't quite as terrible as the box score might suggest. He missed a few easy shots he normally makes and had a couple of good looks from 3-point range that he expects to knock down. It's not as if he launched eight 3-pointers. He attempted just four, and all were reasonable looks.

Regardless of how he performs offensively, Wembanyama always makes a major impact defensively and on the glass. He did that Tuesday night, finishing with six blocks and 13 rebounds. 

It’s only October, and the Spurs expect to be playing well into the Spring, so there’s a long way to go. But the way Wembanyama spoke after the game has my eyebrows raised just a little bit, and I’ll be anxious to see what his approach looks like on Friday night against Houston in their second game of the season. If I was a betting man, I’d guess he won’t go 1 for 13 again.