Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Paul, Sochan, Castle

Play longer minutes for the first time since the Olympics, Victor Wembanyama According to ESPN's Michael C. Wright, he admitted that conditioning was a factor in Thursday's loss in Dallas. The Spurs were cautious with their big star in the preseason, limiting him to a total of about 40 minutes in two games. trainer Gregg Popovich gave him a breather less than five minutes into Thursday's contest.

“Some moments felt great” Wembanyama said. “A little tough conditioning at the beginning, of course (as) I expected. But I think we had some good basketball moments and some really bad ones.”

Wembanyama struggled with his shooting, scoring 17 points while going 5 of 18 from the field and 1 of 8 from distance. But experienced point guard Chris Paul was encouraged that San Antonio trailed by just two points at halftime and was able to remain competitive against the defending Western Conference champions without Wembanyama at his best.

“I love the fight we showed” he said. “There are no moral victories, but we played against a team that made it to the final. So there is a continuity. For me, it's one thing not knowing what to expect in preseason. The regular season is a different matter. But I’m honestly so excited about the jumps I’ve seen and what I think our team is capable of.”

There's more about Spurs:

• Mavericks coach Jason Kidd He doesn't mind if Paul passes him for second on the career assist list, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Kidd believes the new partnership with Wembanyama will make it easier for Paul to exceed his overall performance. “When you have a target like Victor, he shouldn't be thinking about my place.” Kidd said: “But maybe John (Stockton)'S.”
• Playing forward again after last season's unfortunate point guard experiment, Jeremy Sochan He is tied for the lead with 18 points, McDonald added. Sochan now appears more relaxed as he is fixed in his natural position. “Every year you grow up, you learn some things” he said. “My situations are a little different than last year. I just play with energy, play hard and try to be everywhere.”
• Popovich was pleased with the competitive fire the lottery showed Stephon Castlewhose first NBA action involved time guarding Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving And Klay Thompsonaccording to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Popovich warned Castle about the challenge before the game. “I said, 'You know, you're basically a sophomore.'” Popovich told reporters. “'At some point in the game, you're going to be guarding the possible NBA MVP.' It kind of hit him. It’s a little different.”