The San Antonio Spurs made a huge splash this summer, and they didn’t need to spend any money in free agency or make a trade to do it. Instead, it was luck, as they won the draft lottery and earned the right to select French superstar Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Adding Wembanyama to their current young core is a massive win, as he’s the most hyped prospect since LeBron James. He’s had more hype around him over the past few months than almost any player currently in the NBA. But with that amount of attention and that number of eyes on him, some people are bound to go after him.
In a video tweeted by Ben Golliver of The Washington Post, NBA Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett said that Wembanyama has a “target on his back.” (H/t Gayle Troiani of NESN)
“He’s No. 1, absolutely he has a target on his back,” Garnett said. “Everybody is gonna set their level to the number one player and you’re gonna see what their level is.”
Kevin Garnett on Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama: “He’s No. 1. Absolutely he has a target on his back. … Coming from high school, I had a bunch of targets on my back. But that’s part of it.” pic.twitter.com/TaUnzbZCLk
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 14, 2023
After going first overall, players are going to look at him as a guy they want to beat, regardless of if they’re a rookie or not. Many already believe he’s going to be a generational talent, which could only fuel that fire more.
“You can look up to people, be a fan of people,” Garnett said. “But at the same time when you compete, you want to beat those people. … He’ll be alright.”
The Spurs and Wembanyama need to be ready to get every team’s best every single night.
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