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Spurs Best Pistons But Expose Wembanyama Matchup Issue

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Anthony Simpson | Last updated Feb 24, 2026 9:12 PM ET

The San Antonio Spurs advanced their win streak to nine games and beat the best team in the east. However, center Victor Wembanyama was outperformed on offense by Pistons’ center Jalen Duren, who had 25 points. Although the Spurs had a relatively scare-less fourth quarter with the Pistons’ best player in foul trouble, both De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama had dismal shooting nights. With this game serving as a potential NBA Finals preview, how much do the Spurs have to worry?

Spurs Best Pistons But Expose Wembanyama Matchup Issue

Wembanyama’s Offensive Struggles

Victor Wembanyama has been having his best year in terms of efficiency. Even though he came into the league labeled a generational talent partially because of his shooting, his early shot selection and lack of help led to an inconsistent three-pointer in his first season. Fast-forward to this year, and he is finally shooting above 50% from the field and above 35% from three, great numbers for a player with a high volume of shots.

Nowhere was that shooting to be found Monday night. Wembanyama had only two made baskets in the first half and was only able to score 21 points by the end of the contest. That’s less than his scoring average (24.2 PPG) on a night when he played well above his usual minutes. The Pistons were unmistakably wearing on Wemby with their physicality. The star center had many moments of frustration, as he was repeatably falling to the ground. Whether this was from the Pistons’ players contact or from him selling the contact is not clear. What is clear is that the refs let both teams get extremely physical with each other.

This is something Wembanyama will have to get used to when he plays the Pistons. Their physical style of defense goes hand-in-hand with smothering pressure that forces Wemby to go into the paint to alleviate pressure on the primary ball-handler. The Pistons are also a team that can come closer to matching size and athleticism with the Spurs. Adding to Wembanyama’s load was backup center Luke Kornet leaving the game to get checked for injury. He later returned in the third quarter. This all led to a tired Wemby trying to conserve energy and remain impactful of offense through his shooting. He didn’t regain his offensive footing until the fourth quarter after some rest.

Feb 23, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots on Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Did Jalen Duren Outplay Wembanyama?

Jalen Duren’s frame and athleticism seem tailored to defend Wembanyama. Although being half a foot shorter, Duren’s long reach and leaping ability makes up for that. His athleticism allows him to score over Wembanyama in the paint with speed, strength and reach. For instance, his first bucket came from him muscling his way around Wemby to the basket. His drive got Wemby off balance and allowed him to reach over Wemby in a rare feat. This is different from what most centers are able to do. Most rely almost entirely on their strength to overpower San Antonio’s best player and often get blocked because he can recover quick enough.

As proficient as Duren was on offense, the Spurs still took the win because of Wembanyama’s defense, which led to six blocks. Because of this impact, it is hard to say Duren was the best center on the court that night. But it should be mentioned that Duren’s aggression grew as the game went on, and clearly slowed Wemby down. In the future, if Jalen Duren hounds Wembanyama in the paint constantly, it will spell trouble for the Spurs. It could isolate him from the rest of the defense, cause rebounding issues, and wear him down slowly. In a seven-game series, no one can say how important that could be.

The Pistons’ Biggest Advantage

The Spurs started the game out hot, leading 11-2 early. By the end of the first quarter the Spurs were trailing. This massive switch happened because the Pistons outrebounded their opponents.

If the Spurs have one hole in their style of play, it is at power forward. Harrison Barnes is one of the oldest players on the team, and Detroit’s young and athletic forwards could beat him in transition and on the boards. When the Spurs were trailing, they looked like they weren’t prepared to box out as fully as they needed to. Both Wembanyama and Luke Kornet found little hope when the biggest Pistons’ players crashed into them searching for the ball.

Obviously, this is something that coaching and coordination can address. But without a true power forward besides Barnes to help out, how much can Wembanyama and Kornet take?

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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