Anyone could have read Victor Wembanyama’s body language after Game 5. The San Antonio Spurs star was torn and shattered, heading to the brink of elimination. Wemby went silent after the game. He didn’t show up for the postgame pressers, although he’s usually among the most available players in the league. He fulfills his media obligation nine out of ten times. The only time he didn’t was yesterday, when he risked a fine from the league. But it never came.

Usually, just reputation is enough. Draymond Green or Isaiah Stewart need only be part of a hostile moment to get penalized – Green was suspended in the 2023 playoffs for stomping on Domantas Sabonis (with his lengthy rap sheet cited), while Stewart drew a longer suspension in 2021 for his altercation with LeBron James. In this case, Victor Wembanyama’s clean image and first-time offender status helped him avoid the standard $25,000 fine for skipping postgame media. The league appeared to make an exception, seemingly swayed by the media’s portrayal of Wembanyama as one of the league’s most diligent stars.

“I was told that the league contacted Wemby and gave him a warning. You know they get fined marginally for skipping out on media. But the reason he was not penalised for skipping media after last night’s game is that he was voted by the Pro Basketball Writers Association for being one of the most accommodating players to media… So they felt like the situation that it is; tough game and what’s at stake, this is a one-time situation. So they let him off the hook this time,” Chris Haynes revealed.

Most players in the league, if they do speak to the media after an unfavorable result, keep quiet. In the past, Dillon Brooks was fined $25,000 for skipping media after the Grizzlies’ losses to the Lakers in the 2023 playoffs. However, Wembanyama won the Pro Basketball Writers Association’s (PBWA) Magic Johnson Award, given annually to the player who best demonstrates professionalism and cooperation with the media for his grace.

Great game or not, he sits in front of reporters to answer questions in detail. He even spoke to the media in December after his grandmother had passed away. Wemby shed tears and kept the session short, but he didn’t ignore his obligations as an NBA star.

He didn’t get any punishment for elbowing the Timberwolves’ Naz Reid earlier in the playoffs for the same reason. Although he deserved a fine then, he carries himself with humility above anything else.

The combination of that track record and the gravity of a potential playoff elimination, a context the league deemed extraordinary, is what earned Wembanyama a one-time pass rather than a $25,000 fine.

Mitch Johnson wants Victor Wembanyama to assert himself

Victor Wembanyama looked out of place in Game 5. He didn’t have his usual pump, except for a few moments where he passionately implored his teammates to go for the win. However, on the court, he wasn’t nearly as imposing as the previous games in this series. For the first time, it looked like someone stole his mojo. Wemby added just 20 points and 4-15 shooting, and he had just one rebound in the first half.

By the numbers, he was the third-highest scorer for the Spurs. However, Mitch Johnson knows how Wembanyama’s passivity affects a team against a defense like the Spurs’. His head coach isn’t bothered about Wemby’s shooting struggles.

However, he doesn’t want him to settle. Johnson’s message to Victor Wembanyama was to be relentless and keep aiming for aggression.

“[Victor’s] got to take more than 15 shots. Even with the [12] free throws, he’s going to have to score more than 20 points for sure… Oklahoma City did a good job. We’ve got to do a better job. He’ll definitely need to take more shots,” said the Spurs head coach.

It’s not like the Spurs can’t find other contributors outside of Wemby. In Game 5, it was Julian Champagnie and Stephon Castle. They also have Dylan Harper and De’Aaron Fox, who are talented scorers in their own right.

But when Wembanyama makes himself a constant threat, every player on the Thunder is looking at him. And one of the laws of basketball is to keep shooting. The averages work themselves out.

Victor Wembanyama didn’t, and it showed in a -8 net rating. It was the first time in this entire series that Wemby finished as a negative presence for the team. That can’t happen again. The Spurs are on the brink, with Game 6 a must-win situation at home. But to get the desired result, they need Wembanyama to unleash himself on the Thunder. That’s how San Antonio dominated them in the regular season, winning the season series 4-1.

Do you think Wemby will be fearless in Game 6? Let us know your views in the comments below.