Victor Wembanyama Says Spurs Are 'Learning' Amid 3-game Losing Streak, 3-5 Start

Victor Wembanyama isn't letting the San Antonio Spurs' three-game losing streak get to him, noting the young team is still "learning" to play with one another after Wednesday's blowout loss to the New York Knicks.

"We're learning," Wembanyama told reporters after the Spurs' 126-105 loss. "As a young team, any team really, we're going to go through losing streaks sometimes during the season in tough times. It's going to happen. But the most important thing is how we bounce back."

Wembanyama finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in a quiet Madison Square Garden debut, knocking down just four of his 14 shot attempts.

While it's clear Wembanyama is going to develop into a special player on both ends of the floor, these growing pains were expected. The Spurs were never going to be a serious playoff contender. This is a team that won 22 games last season, and its biggest offseason acquisition was a 19-year-old. Even the greatest players in NBA history take time to develop.

Wembanyama is already a dominant force on the defensive end, but his offensive game clearly needs fine-tuning. He's shooting just 29.3 percent from three-point range, ranking 145th among 159 qualifying players so far this season, and he's averaging nearly two times as many turnovers (3.5) as assists (1.8).

These were the two areas of weakness that showed up on Wembanyama's game tape, so it should not be much of a surprise to see him struggling against NBA competition.

"Some teams will for sure try to attack him and whatnot, be very aggressive with him, physical with him," guard Tre Jones said. "But it is what it is, and as long as he continues to develop like we know he will, it'll be like that for however long he plays, and so it's something that we'll just get used to.

"We will have to just have that in our minds right away to know that we got to come out, be the ones that bring it to these teams."

The Spurs will be more than happy to allow Wembanyama to continue developing at his own pace, knowing the result could be one of the most transformative players in this generation.