Despite Spurs losing streak, Wembanyama sees ‘purpose’ and improvement from team

SAN ANTONIO — Since Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama on Sunday night produced a historic performance against the Denver Nuggets — the first player in NBA history to amass at least 22 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and four blocks in just 25 minutes of a 132-120 loss in Denver — it didn’t seem right to make him address the most negative of active numbers of his rookie season: 12 straight Spurs losses. So, when Wembanyama met with reporters after a Spurs practice at their Victory Performance Center complex on Tuesday morning, one reporter began a tough question with a pertinent preface: “I hope you won’t find this impertinent, but what’s the greatest number of consecutive losses you’ve ever had before?” The 19-year-old from France tilted his head in puzzlement. Nikola Jokić, Denver’s two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, got an up-close view Sunday night of what “the worst Victor we’ll ever see” already can produce, then warned those who doubt Wembanyama’s future impact. “He’s going to change the game, 100 percent,” Jokić told reporters in Denver after scoring 39 in the Nuggets’ Sunday night victory.