When taking part in for a franchise that’s seen legends of the sport like Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili swimsuit up, there are all the time going to be lofty expectations to fill.
Whenever you’re the primary total choose within the draft and probably the most extremely touted prospects since LeBron James himself, these requirements leap exponentially increased.
The San Antonio Spurs received the draft lottery on the finish of the 2022-23 NBA season, and with it, 19-year-old phenomenon Victor Wembanyama. Whereas we’ve seen different current high picks fail to fill the sneakers they’re given, Wembanyama is moving into among the best conditions potential, a steady franchise (though the Spurs have struggled in current seasons) with an NBA Corridor of Famer in head coach Greg Popovich on the helm. The items are already in place for Wembanyama to succeed, however right here’s a have a look at extra components that would assist him come into his personal and attain his prescribed ceiling as one of many higher gamers in NBA historical past.
An Underrated Angle On Victor Wembanyama
One fascinating factor to remember is how Parker will match into the image as Wembanyama adjusts to San Antonio. Born in Belgium, Parker grew up in France, attending highschool in Paris and taking part in professionally there earlier than the Spurs drafted him in 2001.
The 2 don’t have a lot in frequent on the courtroom—Parker stands 6-foot-2, greater than a foot shorter than the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama (though they’ve each proven a penchant for scoring from the paint throughout their respective careers)—however their shared background might give Wembanyama an vital mentor.
One factor that Parker can assist with is educating Wembanyama methods to modify to Popovich’s hard-charging teaching fashion. Popovich does his greatest to unlock the expertise of the gamers he coaches, even when it doesn’t all the time make him standard, whether or not it’s turning Parker right into a two-way star or attempting to show Kawhi Leonard into a frontrunner. Parker and Popovich have been infamous for butting heads throughout the former’s taking part in profession as Popovich did his greatest to coax essentially the most out of Parker’s expertise… even when it didn’t all the time sit properly with the Belgian native.
Parker and Wembanyama have already interacted with one another fairly a bit, spending time collectively within the pre-draft course of when it turned clear that the Spurs had the highest choose.
They’ve additionally identified one another for years, with Parker saying he knew Wembanyama and his household lengthy earlier than the 19-year-old turned a world celebrity.
Having an NBA Corridor of Famer with an analogous background to him is a superb useful resource for Wembanyama to have in his courtroom as he will get used to taking part in for Popovich.
Persevering with Improvement
Whereas Parker might be an enormous assist for Wembanyama as he continues to regulate to the NBA, it’s additionally vital for him to have sources shut at hand, ones in tune with what the Spurs are as much as. When Parker joined the Spurs, he had legends throughout him to be taught from like Duncan and Robinson: this version of the Spurs is a unique story, as they’d one of many youngest rosters within the NBA on opening day final season, coming in at No. 3 with a median age of 23.84 years.
One budding chief within the Spurs’ younger locker room is Keldon Johnson. Johnson is from Virginia and received a gold medal with Staff USA in 2021. After a breakout 2021-2022 season Keldon Johnson signed a four-year, $80 million extension. You may guess his hometown followers will likely be utilizing Virginia Sportsbook promos to get in on the motion all NBA season. With the most important present cap hit on the Spurs’ roster, Johnson seems to be a long-term a part of San Antonio’s plans, cherishing the management position he took on final season.
How Victor Wembanyama Matches Up
As soon as once more, with a historical past of gifted massive males like Duncan and Robinson, the comparisons Wembanyama attracts to them are inevitable: right here’s a have a look at how they stack up. The obvious comparability that leaps out is measurement. Wembanyama is taller than Duncan and Robinson ever have been, however he’s so much lighter, weighing round 210 kilos. Each the elder Spurs sat round 250 kilos throughout their taking part in careers, serving to them develop into dominant defensive presences (and a drive to be reckoned with when working down low).
Wembanyama has rejected the notion that he must bulk up, saying that he prefers his lanky construct: it’s potential to develop into stronger with out constructing muscle mass, and it looks like that’s what he desires to do. Wembanyama compares properly to Robinson relating to shot-blocking. It’s uncommon for a person of that measurement to have wonderful mobility, however these two are an exception to that rule, with excessive defensive ceilings due to their potential to get again down the courtroom.
Victor Wembanyama has obtained comparisons to Duncan as properly for his all-around potential (particularly as he continues to develop), although it stays to be seen if he’ll have the identical clutch gene that Duncan had.