The San Antonio Spurs continue to thrive even without Victor Wembanyama, drawing praise from NBA legend James Worthy for their promising trajectory this season.
Worthy spoke about it as he reacted to the Spurs’ dominant 132-119 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in their NBA Cup quarterfinal showdown on Wednesday. The three-time NBA champion raved about how the San Antonio players are handling their business well this season, despite their youth and amid various challenges, including the continued absence of Wembanyama, who is out with a calf injury.
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“Youth with confidence and discipline makes for a pretty tough young team. And that’s what they showed tonight. They showed discipline. They showed they were tough. And they are young… They got some good players… They are solid. You can — there’s no weaknesses with this team. When they get Wemby back, boy,” Worthy said on Spectrum SportsNet.
Stepping up without Wemby
The Spurs have been playing without Wembanyama for their last 12 games. But despite that, the team has collectively stepped up, going 9-3 while sporting an overall record of 17-7.
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De’Aaron Fox has been leading the charge, averaging 24.0 points and 6.3 assists. Stephon Castle is also performing well, averaging 18.2 points, 7.3 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, rookie Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie have been steady double-digit scorers while big men Luke Kornet and Jeremy Sochan are holding the fort in the middle.
The team’s overall competitiveness is something that coach Mitch Johnson is very positive about, moving to highlight it following their victory over the Lakers.
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“I thought our competitive response was good… You need to double down on game plan, execution, playing together, do more of the little things,” Johnson shared in the postgame press conference.
Wembanyama’s return
Wembanyama is set to make his return, possibly in San Antonio’s NBA Cup semifinals showdown against the reigning league champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on Saturday.
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The French big man gives added size and versatility on the front court on both ends. Before getting hurt, he was averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
But even with Wembanyama returning soon, Johnson is emphasizing the importance of team play, which has been instrumental in their success.
“I think Victor would tell you we have a deep team, and we rely upon playing together as a team. He may be the biggest puzzle piece, but he needs everybody else to complete the puzzle,” the first-year Spurs head coach reiterated.
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It is something that point guard Fox totally agrees with, highlighting that he and the rest of the team are committed to supporting their superstar.
“We see the talent that he has, and we know that he could be one of the greatest players,” Fox relayed. “But as he’s trying to get there, you don’t go through that on your own.”
Given San Antonio’s seamless teamwork and resilience during Wembanyama’s absence, Worthy and other observers believe the Spurs are laying the groundwork for a strong future. That’s the ultimate recipe for long-term success.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.