Wemby's stunning highlights are a firm reminder of what Spurs have been missing

Did you see those blocks against Utah a few nights ago? Whew! When Victor Wembanyama gets in his rim protection bag, it can be a long day for opposing defenses. Only, we haven't seen as many of the demonstrative blocks that we're used to this season, and the question of why isn't as simple as Vic needing to exert more effort (though there is a little bit of that).

These plays get you out of your seat and send social media into an understandable frenzy. It's the highlight block of all highlight blocks. Usually, Wemby needs someone to attempt a downright silly shot to get these off, and thankfully, Jusuf Nurkic was more than willing to be a sacrificial lamb for our enjoyment. (Thanks, Nurk!)

But these aren't the plays I find myself craving from the Alien. It's the out-of-nowhere blocks like the one below. Those have been lacking.

Wemby must carefully expend his energy and manage offensive counters

French publication L'Equipe's senior writer, Maxime Aubin, has watched Vic for a long time. He's nailed a big part of what we're seeing when a fan opines that Vic hasn't been the same on the defensive end.

"I think Wemby has regressed," they said. To wish Aubin replied, "The numbers show it, yes, but above all it’s the defenses that keep adapting to him. They test him a lot less than before, they pull him one way to attack from the other… the good news? The Spurs remain a very good defense as things stand." (Translated from X)

Either he meant that the offenses are adapting, or the translation service messed up that part of his comment, but we know what he's saying, and he's right. Teams have adapted to a historic shot blocker by refusing to challenge him with the same regularity they once did.

Coaches have clearly instructed both their bigs in the post and drivers to play as decoys, trying as hard as they can to get Vic to commit before rocketing a pass out for an opportunistic basket. It's made Wemby a bit more hesitant to leave his man at times, and other times, it just flat out looks like he let one past.

Sometimes, it's okay to let a few slide when you're exerting as much on both ends as Vic, so I'm not going to pile on him for that. It's simply an observation. When you pair those realities with shortened minutes, you have a lower block output, as Wemby has gone from averaging more than 3.5 a game to 2.6. It's still a great number, but not nearly as jaw-dropping.

The Spurs added a shot blocker in Luke Kornet. He's giving San Antonio 1.3 a night, and that's more than any other secondary defender Vic has played with so far. In theory, it should only ensure the Silver and Black remain one of the league's best shot-blocking squads after finishing in the top five in each of the past two seasons. Instead, they're 14th. That's just weird.