Rockets give Spurs priceless information in disappointing rival clash

In their second matchup in the past week, the San Antonio Spurs have had their hands full with their inner-division and state rival, the Houston Rockets. The team suffered from a dominant 45-point performance from Alperen Sengün in the first matchup, then fell two points short in a final of 103-101, a game where defense was of the essence for the Rockets.

Rockets figured out how to handle Wembanyama

In the team's last two head-to-head clashes, Rockets Head Coach Ime Udoka put together the perfect game plan to hold Victor Wembanyama to just thirteen points on twelve shot attempts, one of his lower usage outings of the season. That plan? Just throw as many defenders at him as possible, and it worked.

Rockets players ran this scheme to perfection. You could see the intent in every rotation and double-team, which forced Wembanyama to give the ball up and make someone besides Victor do the damage. After the game, Wemby had some high praise for the resilient defense he was challenged with during the battle, saying that this was the most formidable trial he's faced in his rookie season.

The number one overall pick did not have an utterly inefficient night scoring the basketball, going 5/12 from the floor with only two turnovers, and was +5 on the night. However, Houston's aggressive and physical defense prevented Victor from putting in his usual workload.

Ime Udoka laid out the blueprints for stopping Victor Wembanyama, and it might not be long before other teams also begin to use this scheme in their favor. This offseason might be the most important in Spurs history. After seeing what Wembanyama is capable of in his rookie season, Brian Wright and the organization must be aggressive to add another star and a deeper and significantly more rounded roster.

San Antonio will need to develop a plan for how Wembanyama can thrive when opposing defenses play him that way, as it's been demonstrated that this current supporting cast struggles on a nightly basis. With the haul of draft picks that Brian Wright has acquired and the Spurs projected around 55 million in cap space this offseason, they have everything they need to make upgrades and prepare for the relentlessly aggressive style of play that may become commonplace in future games.