Is there any end to his talents? Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high 50 points against the Washington Wizards, becoming the fourth youngest player to achieve this feat. It’s incredible to see the man improving with each passing day taking deeper threes in each passing game. But, it all comes on a gloomy note for the San Antonio Spurs fanbase. Notably, Basketball Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke earlier this month, according to reports.

It’s Popovich’s 29th season, with the San Antonio Spurs, as one of the greatest coaches in the NBA recovers from the illness. There remains no particular timetable for his return to the sidelines. However, former NBA player Jeff Teague found something curious fans would take notice of. On the Club 520 Podcast, Teague gave opinions regarding Wembanyama’s performance without Popovich at the helm.

Every player who plays for the San Antonio Spurs understands Gregg Popovich’s system. It’s based on work ethic, intense leadership, and moving the ball at every step. Sometimes it restricts players to shine individually, but when the Spurs offense is in full flow, it becomes a sight to behold. Yet, Teague believes Wembanyama found a new sense of freedom in his game.

He stated, “I think he got more freedom with Pop being gone. I don’t know who the coach is right now, whoever running sh*t. But I think he got a little more freedom. You see him taking a lot more 3s. Last two games, he’d been putting 30s. So, there is freedom there little more, and I think, he enjoys playing and he is playing more minutes. So, that helps, too.”

You can see it if you analyze Victor Wembanyama’s performances in the past three games with the assistant coach Mitch Johnson taking control of the team. The player’s putting in some ridiculous numbers in the last three games.

Victor Wembanyama’s improved numbers under assistant coach

Barring the last three games, Wembanyama didn’t cross 24 points until two games before. In the game against the Sacramento Kings, Wemby scored 34 while in the 50-point game against the Wizards, he showcased an array of skills. Apart from the points, he scored it efficiently, having 62.1% FG, and picking his shots properly. Moreover, he had more than 50% 3-point shooting in the past three games.

Wemby’s taking the game to his opponents and seems to take it up a notch. Therefore, we can’t close our eyes to Wembanyama’s improvement with the new sense of freedom he received. Should they go with the same system? That’s for Popovich to decide. He remains an integral part of the team’s decisions.

“Right now, his health is the No. 1 priority. He’s in good spirits. He’ll be OK. He is OK. And we can’t wait to have him back,” said Mitch Johnson, the acting head coach in Popovich’s absence. We can’t wait to see him on the basketball court once again.

Although Wembanyama’s scoring percentages improved, having a coach like Pop will help take his talent to the next level. He would teach him the values of basketball, which every player would love to learn. Hopefully, he returns to full action and develops exciting, young players. The world of basketball needs him!