Even with a frustrating record this season, the San Antonio Spurs have struck gold by adding rookie Victor Wembanyama to the lineup. A recent contest against the Utah Jazz, though, saw the rookie slow start after missing the previous game.

After missing a win against the Kevin Durant-led Phoenix Suns, Wembanyam joined the lineup again to face Utah. In that game, the Spurs rookie recorded 19 points on 46 percent shooting from the field, eight rebounds, six assists, and five blocks. Devin Vassell led the team to a 118-111 victory with 31 points, four rebounds, and six assists.

The Jazz, on the other hand, got 26 points and nine assists from Collin Sexton as their starting point guard. All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen contributed 25 points and six rebounds, while John Collins added 18 points on 50 percent shooting from the field.

Even with the win, San Antonio remains at the bottom of the Western Conference with 17 wins and 56 losses. The Utah Jazz, meanwhile, are in ninth place with a 29-44 record, putting them far from any chance of making the playoffs this year.

San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Reveals 2 Reasons For Poor Start Against Utah Jazz

After the game, Wembanyama spoke to the media and explained why he started slow against the Jazz. In a post by Tom Orsborn on X:

Victor said it took him a while to find his rhythm after sitting out a game:

“It’s always the challenge for me, moving my body after having a game off. Also, I think the altitude made it a little bit hard for all of us to keep the pace,” Orsborn tweeted.

This season, the leading Rookie of the Year candidate is averaging 20.7 points on 46 percent shooting from the field, 10.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He is also leading the league in blocks by rejecting 3.5 shots on a nightly basis.

Even though the Spurs are languishing in the bottom, Wembanyama’s performance this year has been promising for the franchise. Although there are games like the one he had against Utah, the French star remains a generational talent San Antonio can build around in the coming years.