Wembanyama reveals unlocked new play that may wreak havoc for years to come

The Spurs rematch with the Rockets did not go as the fans hoped after an encouraging win against their rivals just days prior. Houston's players were more physical at first, but San Antonio eventually matched their intensity and turned a potential blowout into a tightly contested game. The Spurs lost 106-101, but fighting back is another sign of growth despite their inability to win in the end.

The Spurs' learning process is working

San Antonio is expected to go through growing pains while they iron out the wrinkles caused by introducing new elements and, of course, due to still being a young team without their full complement of players. It's only game three of the regular season, so it's not even close to time to panic after a five-point loss to a rival team you had to play back-to-back.

As a matter of fact, quite the opposite should be taking place because the guys are learning what works. Victor Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan already have strong chemistry on the court, so it's never a surprise to see them playing well off of each other.

However, a play the pair were able to pull off twice against the Rockets was an eye-opener Wemby already recognizes as a potential staple in the offense going forward. An alley-oop featuring the Alien as the playmaker and Sochan as the dunker has emerged and will likely be a play fans see often when teams try to close the paint off on Wemby.

"I think it solves a lot of issues for us. It solves the issues of doubling, first of all, and also, when Jeremy acts like this, rolls hard, he's way quicker than centers, and he can jump just as high, so it's a really really good threat. I think it first our offense and solves a bunch of problems." - Wembanyama on the player

Get ready for plenty of that this season, Spurs fans.

Where the Spurs lost the game

Victor Wembanyama had another four-turnover game, but not all turnovers are created equal. Two of those were due to poor officiating; one was an offensive foul call for an elbow to Dillon Brooks' face, but there was little to no contact—just a premier flop job. The other was when Wemby lost the ball out of bounds due to an uncalled foul on a reach from Fred VanVleet.

Missed calls happen, so it's not a huge deal, but those turnovers deserve context. The other two were solely on Vic due to operating in too much traffic and a bad pass. But he's still a very young player with a high usage rate, so mistakes are bound to happen, and to be fair, mistakes don't end when you become a veteran; they just reduce.

The Spurs had 17 turnovers to 12 from the Rockets, but their points off turnovers were fairly even: 21 for Houston and 19 for SA. San Antonio also outrebounded their interstate rivals 49-43, and there were no lopsided stats in either direction for most stats, except one: three-point shooting.

The Silver and Black went 30% from deep, while their opponents shot 40%. Jalen Green was the biggest problem in the first half, burying six threes by himself. Once again, a familiar issue bites the Spurs again, but sometimes the ball just doesn't go into the basket. Devin Vassell will help with that, but it's something to keep an eye on.

Several players have expressed the team's mindset is to win while learning. They want to make the playoffs. If that's going to happen in this day and age, they'll have to either shut down the opposition's threes with consistency or make more of their own. Preferably both, but let's not get greedy.