Category: Gregg Popovich

Gregg Popovich on Spurs’ rocky season: ‘One of the most satisfying’

Gregg Popovich had some strong words for this San Antonio Spurs season.

When the San Antonio Spurs embarked on their current rebuild, they knew it was going to be a long process. What they didn’t know is that they would luck into the ability to select Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. That one Ping Pong ball changed the course of the organization forever.

However, while Wembanyama’s first season in the league was a fruitful one in terms of development, the Spurs were still one of the worst teams in the league. They didn’t come anywhere close to the playoffs, despite their strong close to the season, winning seven of their last 11 games.

Gregg Popovich admitted that the season was challenging, but he also called it “one of the most satisfying years” he’s spent in San Antonio. (H/t Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News)

“It would be less than genuine if I said it was not a challenging year,” Popovich said. “Losing is challenging. But it was one of the most satisfying years I’ve spent here, just because the caliber of the character of the guys I was allowed to coach.”

To hear that from Popovich, who has coached the Spurs since 1996, is a true testament to the character and persistence of this San Antonio squad.

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Gregg Popovich says Victor Wembanyama is mad about sitting out

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said that Victor Wembanyama was mad about sitting out.

The San Antonio Spurs have nothing to play for down the stretch of the season. They have been eliminated from playoff contention for weeks now, so the most important thing for the remainder of the year should be the health of their players. They need to ensure that their guys are good moving forward.

On Wednesday night, the Spurs took on the Oklahoma City Thunder and got crushed. Oklahoma City is fighting for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, so they are a full go right now. And to make matters more difficult, the Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama, much to his dismay.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich said that Wembanyama isn’t pleased about sitting out. (H/t ESPN)

“I feel badly because he’s not a happy camper right now,” Popovich said. \ “He wants to be out there, but I’m looking at the long view. And, you know, we’ve had some trouble with this particular injury during the season.”

The Spurs lost by a score of 127-89 in an absolute blowout.

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Gregg Popovich praises 2 Spurs bench players after win over Pelicans

Head coach Gregg Popovich showed love to two San Antonio Spurs bench guys after their win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The San Antonio Spurs are gaining valuable experience down the stretch of this season. Despite sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference for most of the year, they look like a legitimately competitive team. On Friday night, they picked up a win over a New Orleans Pelicans squad that is fighting for playoff positioning.

Perhaps most impressive about the Spurs’ recent competitiveness is who is on the court for them. Against the Pelicans, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Keldon Johnson were all out. That’s going to be the case for most games for the rest of the year. However, the Spurs had some bench guys step up in a big way.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich showed love to Devonte’ Graham and Sandro Mamukelashvili. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“Devonte’ was superb, Sandro was superb,” Popovich said.

Graham finished the game with 20 points, two rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Meanwhile, Mamukelashvili had 15 points, five rebounds, and two assists.

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Gregg Popovich credits Spurs’ resilience after win over Pelicans

Head coach Gregg Popovich had some kind words for the San Antonio Spurs after their win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

For the past couple of months, the San Antonio Spurs have looked like a much different team. Despite the fact that they’ve been at the bottom of the Western Conference standings all season, they’ve looked like a legitimately competitive team as of late, highlighted by their Friday night win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Spurs were down by as many as 15 points, but they never gave up. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, they had bounced all the way back, earning a six-point lead of their own at one point in the final frame. New Orleans didn’t roll over, as they fought until the bitter end, but the Spurs held on and picked up a 111-109 win.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich praised the Spurs’ resilience, noting that they never let up, and they haven’t all season. (H/t ESPN)

“They’ve never done that,” Popovich said. “They try to play for the whole 48. We are not as consistent as we need to be, but it will come as the future approaches.”

It says a lot that Popovich is saying that about such a young, inexperienced San Antonio squad.

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Former Spur Doug McDermott tells hilarious Gregg Popovich story

Ex-San Antonio Spurs forward Doug McDermott shared a funny story about Gregg Popovich.

The San Antonio Spurs have been a very young team in recent years, which is quite the switch-up from what head coach Gregg Popovich was used to for decades. However, despite the change of pace, Popovich has remained the same dry-witted, personable guy that he’s always been. If anything, he’s become even more lighthearted.

Former Spurs wing Doug McDermott, who was a veteran on some recently young Spurs teams before getting traded to the Indiana Pacers at the 2024 deadline, recently shared a story about Popovich. He did so during an appearance on The Ryen Russillo Podcast, discussing one of his exit interviews with the Spurs coach.

He said that Popovich praised his shooting but took a hilarious dig at his defensive skillset. (H/t Josh Paredes of FanSided)

“He’s like, ‘I don’t need to talk to you’,” McDermott recalled. “‘You might be one of the worst defenders I’ve ever coached, but you can really shoot that thing. I’ll see you next September.'”

Popovich always tells it like it is.

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Gregg Popovich on Victor Wembanyama’s respect for Nikola Jokic

Gregg Popovich spoke about the respect Victor Wembanayma gained for Nikola Jokic after the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Denver Nuggets.

The San Antonio Spurs have sat at the bottom of the Western Conference for most of the season, but lately, they’ve been surging forward. Their level of play has improved significantly, and in their most recent game against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, they put this on display.

Not only did the Spurs keep things close against the reigning champions, but star rookie Victor Wembanyama got to battle it out with arguably the best player in the world, Nikola Jokic. The two big men played incredible games, but in the end, the Nuggets finished on top, earning a 110-105 victory over the Spurs.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich said that Wembanyama gained a ton of respect for Jokic because of the game. (H/t ESPN)

“Well, sure. Victor gained a lot of respect tonight becaus e Nikola is the best,” Popovich said. “For Victor to want to guard him and to learn, it was a real testament to how good he wants to be. To go up against Nikola, like I said, shows a lot. And he is learning by the minute.”

If Wembanyama wants to be the best, he’ll have to beat the best. Jokic is firmly in that path.

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Gregg Popovich has strong claim after Spurs’ loss to Nuggets

After the San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the Denver Nuggets, Gregg Popovich had some strong words.

The San Antonio Spurs traveled west to Colorado to take on the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. Victor Wembanyama battled it out with Nikola Jokic in hopes of bouncing back after their tough loss at the hands of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. They couldn’t get the job done, but they got close.

The Spurs were up on the defending champs midway through the third quarter. And even when the Nuggets took a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, the Spurs still managed to battle back. The entire night was a back-and-forth tug-of-war between the two sides, showing just how much the Spurs have improved throughout the year.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich called the contest one of the best games he’s been a part of in recent memory. (H/t ESPN)

“That’s one of the most competitive games I have been part of for many years,” Popovich said. “For 48 minutes, under difficult circumstances, these guys just played … the effort for 48 was really impressive, the best I’ve seen all year. And like I said [for] several years, losing sucks, but to see how far they have come this season is really a joy.”

Popovich has been a part of a lot of close games, so for him to say that about this one is very high praise.

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Gregg Popovich has highest praise for Sandro Mamukelashvili

Head coach Gregg Popovich showed love to Sandro Mamukelashvili after the San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the Golden State Warriors.

On Sunday night, the San Antonio Spurs took on the Golden State Warriors with Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan sitting on the sidelines. They lost in a close game, snapping their three-game win streak. Now, with Sochan and Devin Vassell ruled out for the remainder of the season, San Antonio will have to get creative.

Against the Warriors, Popovich rolled with some of the bench guys. He started Cedi Osman, and Zach Collins put up some solid numbers off the bench. But most notably, Sandro Mamukelashvili played a significant role off the pine, giving the Spurs some great minutes when they needed him most.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich had some very high praise for Mamukelashvili. (H/t Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News)

“He’s like my favorite player,” Popovich said.

Kelashvili ended the night against Golden State with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists while shooting 4-of-6 from the field.

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Gregg Popovich praises Spurs bench after tough loss to Warriors

After the San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the Golden State Warriors, Gregg Popovich showed love to the bench unit.

Heading into their matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night, the San Antonio Spurs were riding a three-game win streak. They had just picked up an impressive overtime victory over the New York Knicks and wanted to keep rolling. Unfortunately, they ran into the buzzsaw that is Stephen Curry.

Curry’s 33 points led the Warriors past the Spurs, outdueling Wembanyama and his 32 points. With Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan sidelined, the Spurs relied on contributions from their bench unit, and they stepped up to the plate. More specifically, big men Zach Collins and Sandro Mamukelashvili played extremely well off the pine. Cedi Osman also stepped into the starting lineup and played well.

After he game, head coach Gregg Popovich praised the bench guys for their role in the contest. (H/t ESPN)

“I thought the group was fantastic,” Popovich said. “You know, that’s what I just told them. They were great to have those three guys out and have the combinations that we had out there with the guys that hadn’t played too much. I’m just so proud of them. They’ve come a long way from the beginning of the year to now, to be able to play a team like that.”

Collins put up 13 points and eight rebounds, Mamukelashvili had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Osman ended with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from deep.

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Gregg Popovich shows love to Malaki Branham after Spurs win over Jazz

Aftre the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz, Gregg Popovich praised Malaki Branham.

The San Antonio Spurs won their second game in a row on Wednesday night, as they took down the Utah Jazz by a store of 118-111. Devin Vassell led the way with 31 points and Victor Wembanyama returned to the lineup, playing well against the Jazz, too. But for as great as Vassell looked, the Spurs won as a team.

Four of the five starters for the Spurs finished with 15 or more points, and the only one who didn’t, Tre Jones, dished out 10 assists in the game. In addition, Malaki Branham also added 17 points off the bench. He earned some serious praise from head coach Gregg Popovich after the win in Utah.

After the game, Popovich said that Branham’s scoring punch helped lift the Spurs up. (H/t Jeremy Brener of Inside the Spurs)

“We didn’t shoot as well in the second half, but we didn’t turn it over like we did in the first half,” Popovich said. “Malaki came in and got three or four buckets. We needed to score. We’re having a tough time, so he deserves a lot of credit for keeping us going offensively, and overall, the defense again was good.”

Branham finished the game with 17 points while shooting 7-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.

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