Category: Gregg Popovich

Gregg Popovich jokes about Devin Vassell after Spurs win over Jazz

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz, Gregg Popovich joked about Devin Vassell, who led the way with 31 points.

For the entire season, Victor Wembanyama has been the center of attention in regard to the San Antonio Spurs. There have been more eyes on San Antonio this year than since the Big 3 of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili ruled the Spurs organization. And while Wembanyama is the reason for that, Devin Vassell has taken advantage.

The fourth-year wing has been having a very impressive season, and he’s been getting more credit for it since more people are tuning in. His latest great showing came against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, as the Spurs picked up a 118-111 win with him leading the way.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich joked about Vassell’s performance, noting that he was worried he may be too tired from having to guard Collin Sexton. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“He had to guard Sexton a lot, so I was afraid he might get too tired to shoot the damn thing,” Popovich said.

Luckily, Vassell stepped up to the plate.

“He pushed through and was a monster at both ends,” Popovich said.

Vassell finished the game with 31 points, four rebounds, six assists, and one steal while shooting 12-of-20 from the floor and 4-of-8 from behind the three-point line.

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Jazz’s Will Hardy has high praise for Gregg Popovich after Spurs win

Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy showed love to San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich after the Spurs’ win in Utah.

The San Antonio Spurs traveled west on Wednesday night to take on the Utah Jazz in their first road game after an eight-game home stand at the Frost Bank Center (that also included some time in Austin). They walked out of the Delta Center with a 118-111 win over the Jazz, marking their second victory in a row after they picked up a win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night without Victor Wembanyama.

The game was particularly fun, considering it was against former Spurs assistant Will Hardy, who is in his second season as the head coach of the Jazz.

After the game, Hardy had some very high praise for Gregg Popovich. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“Pop is an animal,” Hardy said. “There are few people on this planet I would never doubt. He is one of them.”

Hardy spent six seasons in San Antonio coaching under Popovich.

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Devin Vassell credits Gregg Popovich for ‘Spurs basketball’ vs. Jazz

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz, Devin Vassell credited Gregg Popovich.

Following their huge, Victor Wembanyama-less win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs looked to keep the ball rolling on Wednesday. They succeeded in that goal, taking down the Utah Jazz with Wembanyama back in the lineup. They earned a 118-111 win over the Jazz in their first road game since March 9.

Devin Vassell led the way for the Spurs against the Jazz, as he managed to score 31 points. Meanwhile, Wembanyama put up 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five blocks. As for San Antonio as a team, they dished out a wild 40 assists on 40 made baskets.

After the game, Vassell credited head coach Gregg Popovich for their play, calling it “Spurs basketball.” (H/t ESPN)

“That’s Spurs basketball … and Pop preaches it all the time,” Vassell said Popovich. “We were knocking down shots today and everybody was sharing it.”

The victory marked the Spurs’ fifth win in the month of March.

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Gregg Popovich credits Jeremy Sochan for defense on Kevin Durant

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, Gregg Popovich credit Jeremy Sochan for his defense on Kevin Durant.

The San Antonio Spurs got completely blown out on Saturday night by the Phoenix Suns. Led by their Big 3 of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal, the Suns stomped the Spurs by a score of 131-106. The game wasn’t even close. But in their rematch on Monday night, it was a totally different story.

San Antonio jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but by the third, the Suns were up by nine points. The Spurs got another solid lead of their own, but in the final minutes of the game, things were back and forth. In the end, it was San Antonio who ended the night on top, even though Victor Wembanyama didn’t play in the game.

Durant played well, but head coach Gregg Popovich still gave Jeremy Sochan a ton of credit for the defense he played on the Suns star. (H/t Jeremy Brener of Inside the Spurs)

“[Durant] is such a difficult matchup for everybody,” Popovich said postgame. “He’s one of the greatest ever, and Jeremy [Sochan] never stopped working his butt off. He’s very physical and did everything he could to guard a great player. He deserves a lot of credit. He also hit the boards for us. … He was very special.”

Durant ended the game with 29 points, eight rebounds, and six assists while shooting 12-of-17 from the field and 4-of-6 from distance.

As for Sochan, he put up 26 points and 18 rebounds while shooting 10-of-19 from the floor and 1-of-7 from deep.

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Gregg Popovich is imploring Spurs to ignore social media

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is urging his team to ignore social media.

The San Antonio Spurs are a very young team. And as is often the case with young teams, they aren’t very good. The Spurs have been at the bottom of the Western Conference for the majority of the season. First-overall pick Victor Wembanyama has been sensational, but youth is youth, and the Spurs have fallen victim to that fact.

And as is the case in today’s world, losing breeds negativity. More specifically, it draws criticism from faceless figures all over social media. Whenever the Spurs lose a game, people talk about it. It unfortunately comes with the territory of having a megastar like Wembanyama on the roster.

Head coach Gregg Popovich is urging the Spurs to ignore social media. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“They don’t have to live every moment wondering what somebody is saying to them, good or bad,” Popovich said. “People don’t have to know when they go to the bathroom and eat a meal or wash their car. It shouldn’t affect their lives at all.”

If the Spurs can turn off their phones and focus on the game, they’ll be in a great spot moving forward.

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Victor Wembanyama talks Gregg Popovich ‘long-term’ development plan

Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs have a long-term plan for Victor Wembanyama.

Drafting Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft changed the course of the San Antonio Spurs’ franchise forever. From the moment the Spurs won the lottery, Wembanyama’s place in San Antonio lore was being placed in the same breath as Tim Duncan and David Robinson – two Hall-of-Fame big men.

So far this season, Wembanyama has lived up to the hype. His play on both ends of the court has been impeccable, and his defense, in particular, has looked phenomenal. He leads the league in blocks as a rookie. And perhaps the most impressive part of his season so far is that he’s continuously improved.

With Gregg Popovich helping him along the way, Wembanyama is in a great spot. The rookie recently spoke about the developmental plan Popovich has put in place for him. (H/t Michael C. Wright of NBA.com)

“There are regular tactical changes,” the rookie said of Popovich. “I think he’s thinking long-term and he’s really starting to lay the foundations for what we need to do for many years to come. At the same time, we’re discovering things we weren’t necessarily able to execute earlier in the season. So, it’s positive. But there are too many things for me to describe it all to you.”

Wembanyama is set up to be one of the best players in the league sooner rather than later.

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Gregg Popovich gifted Kevin Durant, Devin Booker wine after Spurs-Suns

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich gifted bottles of wine to Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

The San Antonio Spurs hosted the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night for the two team’s third meeting of the season. The Spurs got the best of the Suns twice in a row early on in the year, but since then, the two sides have had very different seasons. Phoenix got the best of San Antonio on Saturday, winning in blowout fashion by a score of 131-106.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich had some high praise for the Suns’ Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. He said that it’s tough to stop them when they’re all rolling. But that’s not the only thing he gave to two of them.

Popovich also gifted Durant and Booker, both of whom he coached on Team USA, bottles of wine after the game, per a post from Duane Rankin of AZ Central. (H/t Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report)

“We talked after the game. He left me a nice bottle of wine,” Booker said. “I know we drank one together after we won gold. We have some incredible memories even though it was a short amount of time in Japan.”

Popovich’s impact on the NBA stretches far beyond the Spurs organization.

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Gregg Popovich reflects on Spurs’ early-season wins over Suns

After their loss to the Phoenix Suns, Gregg Popovich spoke about the San Antonio Spurs’ early-season wins over the Suns.

Before the San Antonio Spurs plummetted down to the bottom of the Western Conference standings, there was some hope that they could make a push to be a Play-In team. The Spurs won three of their first five games, including two straight wins over the Phoenix Suns, the first of which came in clutch fashion.

On Saturday night, the Spurs played their third of four games against the Suns this season. Unfortunately, this time around, the Spurs couldn’t get the job done, as the trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal was too much for them to handle. The Suns picked up a 131-106 win.

After the game, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich acknowledged his team’s early-season wins over the Suns as “warm-ups” for Phoenix. (H/t Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News)

“That was like a preseason, warm-up, try-to-break-a-sweat for them,” Popovich said.

The Spurs have been playing much better basketball as of late, but it wasn’t enough on Saturday.

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Gregg Popovish praises Suns star trio after Spurs loss

After the San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the Phoenix Suns, Gregg Popovich praised Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

The San Antonio Spurs welcomed the Phoenix Suns to town on Saturday night for their sixth home game in a row in the midst of a seven-game homestand. They were hoping to snap a two-game losing streak against a Suns squad whom they had already beaten twice this year – in back-to-back games at the very start of the season.

Unfortunately, this time around didn’t yield the same results. The Spurs lost to the Suns by a score of 131-106, as the Suns’ Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal showed out. They were too much for the Spurs to handle.

After the game, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich showed love to the trio of stars. (H/t ESPN)

“I thought we had a little more contact and physicality in the second half, but you’re not going to stop Book and K.D. from doing what they’re doing and Bradley’s healthy now,” Popovich said. “That’s a pretty tough trio. Our guys did everything they could, and you move on.”

Booker finished the game with 32 points, Durant had 25, and Beal had 13.

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Victor Wembanyama shares how much he loves his time with Gregg Popovich

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama spoke about how much he loves his one-on-one time with Gregg Popovich.

When the San Antonio Spurs took Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, they added a guy fully capable of being their franchise centerpiece. So far this year, Wembanyama has lived up to the hype. He’s been incredible to watch, especially on the defensive end, as he currently leads the league in blocks.

But as Wembanyama continues to develop into the guy ready to lead the Spurs organization into the future, he needs as much guidance as possible. Luckily for the Spurs, they have the perfect coach for the job in Gregg Popovich – someone with plenty of experience developing Hall-of-Fame big men.

Wembanyama recently spoke about how much he enjoys his one-on-one time with Popovich. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“Very much,” Wembanyama said when asked how much he cherishes it.

He loves learning from Popovich.

“It’s pretty precious and one of the reasons that make this place the best place,” Wembanyama said. “Also, I think I’ve added something out of every single one of these. Whenever I talk with the coach, I add something every time.”

With Wembanyama leading the way and Popovich guiding him, the Spurs are in a great spot moving forward.

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