Victor Wembanyama spent years looking up to fellow French center Rudy Gobert. On Monday, the two Defensive Player of the Year winners will meet on opposite sides when the San Antonio Spurs open their second-round playoff series.
“He’s meant a lot as a role model,” Wembanyama said, noting Gobert’s commitment to conditioning and calling him “a model for all big men.”
Gobert returned the praise. “Outside of the talent, he’s someone that has a very unique soul and a very unique mind,” the Timberwolves veteran remarked. “Nothing is an accident. It’s not an accident that he’s having the success that he’s having.”
Injury update
Rookie forward Carter Bryant is listed as questionable for Game 1 with a right foot sprain. San Antonio previously reported a clean injury report after the first round. Bryant averaged 9.2 minutes in the opening series and hit 4-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc.
Johnson keeps routine steady
Head coach Mitch Johnson urged players to “embrace the mundane,” stressing that the approach that worked in the regular season should not change now. “You just keep doing the same thing and do it better,” he said. Guard Stephon Castle echoed the sentiment: “Don’t get lackadaisical, don’t get satisfied, just stick to what is working.”
Close-knit locker room
The Spurs enter the matchup well-rested and, by all accounts, tightly bonded. “Guys like being around each other. Guys like hanging out,” guard De’Aaron Fox said, underscoring the team’s chemistry as it heads into the next round.
Source: Hoops Rumors
