Category: Gregg Popovich

Gregg Popovich emphasizes that young Spurs will learn from experience

As the young San Antonio Spurs look to grow, Gregg Popovich expressed the importance of learning through experience.

Last year, the San Antonio Spurs finished the season with one of the worst records in franchise history. But it was all made worth it when they were able to select Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. With the selection, they got a generational talent but also a new goal in mind: development.

Alongside Wembanyama, youngsters like Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Tre Jones will look to grow in San Antonio. They may not be successful right away, but they have plenty of time to learn. And who better to lead them than Hall-of-Famer Gregg Popovich?

Popovich recently spoke about the importance of learning from experience.

Gregg Popovich shares ‘best part’ of Spurs’ second win over Suns

According to Gregg Popovich, this was the “best part” of the San Antonio Spurs’ second win over the Phoenix Suns.

On Thursday night, the San Antonio Spurs picked up a huge win over the Phoenix Suns – their second in a row against Kevin Durant and company. San Antonio went up by as many as 27 points, but the Suns made it a close game late in the fourth. However, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs were able to hold on.

Throughout the second half, Devin Booker, Durant, and Phoenix made a huge push as the Spurs succumbed to some of the bad habits of a young team. However, unlike most young teams, the Spurs managed to hang on and beat a team most have pegged as one of the best in the West.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich spoke about his team’s efforts.

Gregg Popovich shares thought on Spurs after win over Suns: ‘Really proud’

After the San Antonio Spurs win over the Phoenix Suns, Gregg Popovich shared some thoughts.

On Halloween, the San Antonio Spurs pulled off the most impressive win over the NBA season so far. After not leading for the entire game, Keldon Johnson stripped the ball from Kevin Durant in the dying moments and put the Spurs up by one with 1.2 seconds left in the fourth.

Obviously, the outcome was met with some frustration on the side of the Suns. Head coach Frank Vogel said he believes Johnson fouled Durant on the game-deciding play, but the NBA’s two-minute report stood by the call that was made on the court – a clean steal for Johnsno and the Spurs.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich said he was “really proud” of his team in the win.

Gregg Popovich claps back at Steve Kerr’s comment: ‘Steve’s an a*****’

San Antonio Spurs head coach had something to say after Steve Kerr’s comments about him and Victor Wembanyama.

The San Antonio Spurs just wrapped up a successful preseason stint. They only went 3-2, but the preseason isn’t about wins and losses. Instead, they took the preseason to focus on player development, and that turned out great for them, as they got a solid look at their young talent.

Jeremy Sochan got some run at the point guard, and that seems to be the lineup they plan on running with heading into the season. But perhaps most importantly, they got to fully introduce the world to Victor Wembanyama, who looked incredible during the preseason, particularly against the Golden State Warriors.

After the game against Golden State, head coach Steve Kerr said that Gregg Popovich was “rejuvenated” by getting the chance to coach a top prospect like Wembanyama. Unfortunately, Popovich wasn’t too pleased with the statement. (H/t Jeremy Brener of Inside the Spurs)

“What was I being rejuvenated from? Was I in a mental institution or was I depressed and curled up in my bedroom or something? Steve’s an a******,” Popovich said jokingly.

Popovich and Kerr have a long history together, from playing against each other in the NBA Playoffs to coaching alongside each other with Team USA.

Wembanyama looked absolutely dominant against the Warriors, so Kerr got his first taste of what it will look like to play him in the Western Conference.

And with Popovich signing an extension with the Spurs after they drafted the 19-year-old Frenchman, Kerr will have to face off against him still as well.

Hopefully, Popovich gets the chance to confront his colleague and friend about the rejuvination comment at some point down the road.

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Gregg Popovich confirms wacky Spurs starting lineup for regular season

Gregg Popovich just revealed what the San Antonio Spurs’ starting lineup will be, and it’s very fun.

When the San Antonio Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama, they committed to a future with him as the face of the franchise. He’s a near-7-foot-5 behemoth with guard skills who can guard the paint at a high level. Wembnyama will be the focal point of San Antonio’s starting lineup for years to come.

But around him, pieces could change. And heading into his rookie season, the Spurs had the chance to go in a bunch of different directions with the starting five. They took training camp to test things out, and after their latest preseason win over the Houston Rockets, their lineup was confirmed.

According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN, head coach Gregg Popovich confirmed that the Spurs’ starting lineup heading into the season will be Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Wembanyama, and Zach Collins.

The point guard in that lineup? Sochan – who the Spurs selected with the ninth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Popovich rolled out that starting group against the Rockets as a test run, and things went pretty well. All five players played 20+ minutes, and all but Vassell finished the game with a positive +/-, and even he was just a -1.

Sochan, who will be the main guy to watch in this lineup as he learns a new position, played 21:10. He put up six points, six rebounds, and four assists while shooting 2-of-5 from the field and 1-of-1 from deep.

Tre Jones is the better playmaker, but Sochan’s elite defensive presence should give the Spurs the ability to throw out a ton of different looks on that side of the ball.

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NBA 2K24 launches futuristic Season 2 with Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama

NBA 2K24 is launching a futuristic Season 2 with Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama.

Is San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama the future of the NBA? The makers of the hit video game NBA 2K seem to think. They are tapping the rookie to headline Season 2 of NBA 2K24. Specifically, they believe Wembanyama is the perfect ambassador to a futuristic content pack.

“An alien life force has been detected in the NBA,” 2K Sports said in a release about the update. “And it’s touched down in San Antonio; he goes by the name of Victor Wembanyama. The only explanation for the newcomer’s massive frame, freakishly good handles, and unguardable jumpshot is that he’s from the future, where society has figured out how to create the prototypical basketball player, meaning the future has arrivedin Season 2 of NBA 2K24”

Wembanyama has leaned into his “alien” nickname since LeBron James spoke about the French phenom prior to joining the NBA. It’s a worthy theme for a packed Season 2 of 2K24.

Victor Wembanyama got yelled at by Gregg Popovich for the first time

Finally, San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama got yelled at by Gregg Popovich.

Over the years, the San Antonio Spurs have been one of the most consistent organizations in the NBA. For two decades, Tim Duncan led the way, helping the Spurs win five championships with guys like David Robinson, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili by his side. Now, Victor Wembanyama is set to lead the way, but one man still remains from the Duncan days – Gregg Popovich.

Popovich has been the head coach of the Spurs since 1996, leading them through the most successful era of basketball in franchise history (by far). He’s always quick to joke with the media, but he keeps a tight ship. Wembanyama finally got to experience that for himself.

Wembanyama recently revealed that Popovich yelled at him for the first time. And he loved it. (H/t Max Gamarra of Inside the Spurs)

“Yeah, it came later than I expected but yeah, finally,” Wembanyama said. “I’m glad he yelled at me.”

Despite the yelling, which there will certainly be more of, Popovich spoke highly of Wembanyama at Spurs Media Day.

“Fortunately for us, he is very coachable, very intelligent,” said Popovich. “That’s already begun for him, from the first day of practicing in summer league, just getting used to a different kind of game. We will watch him probably for the next couple of weeks without saying too much of anything to him, just so we understand his idiosyncrasies and the way he plays the game, how his body works, all that sort of thing. Everybody else, we know their game, we know what they do, so we have to do the same thing with him.”

With Wembanyama and Popovich leading the charge, Spurs basketball is in great hands.

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Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan discusses Gregg Popovich free throw influence

San Antonio Spurs youngster Jeremy Sochan recently discussed how Gregg Popovich helped him change his free throw form.

The San Antonio Spurs have developed a great young core. Obviously, the roster will be headlined by rookie Victor Wembanyama, but the rest of the squad looks great, too. Between Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones, Sidy Cissoko, and everyone else, there is a lot for fans to be excited about.

But one of the most intriguing players on the roster is Jeremy Sochan, who just wrapped up an impressive rookie season. One of the most interesting parts about Sochan’s game is his free-throw shot, as he shoots the ball one-handed from the charity stripe. And apparently, the idea was all Gregg Popovich’s.

During an appearance on Tidal League’s “Sessions,” Sochan told the story of how it came about. (H/ Clutch Points)

“Happened out of nowhere, really… I was with coach [Brett] Brown working on my shot and we would do one-handed stuff and I would go on like streaks of just making a bunch of one-handed shots. And then coach Pop is like, ‘Yo, come here.’ And I’m like, ‘What’s up, coach?’ And he’s like, ‘You’re shooting one-handed.’ Straight up,” Sochan said.

The Spurs forward put up solid numbers during his rookie season, and he shot alright from the line. He attempted 2.1 free throws per game and shot 69.8% from the stripe. This was a major step up from college, as in his lone season at Baylor, Sochan shot 58.9% on 3.0 attempts from the line per game.

With his new form, the Spurs will hope Sochan can continue his free-throw improvement next year, too.

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Former Spurs big LaMarcus Aldridge on arguments with Gregg Popovich

Former San Antonio Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge spoke about a disagreement with Gregg Popovich.

Throughout the years, the San Antonio Spurs have been home to some great players. Obviously, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and David Robinson are the first that come to mind, but the organization has fielded some solid rosters since the conclusion of the Duncan era, too.

Most notably, LaMarcus Aldridge quietly put in a solid shift in San Antonio. According to total win shares, he’s the 10th-best player in franchise history. However, while he found an underrated amount of success with the Spurs, Aldridge didn’t always get along with Gregg Popovich. He said as much during a recent podcast appearance. (H/t Mike Taylor of Inside the Spurs)

While speaking with the “Oddball” podcast with Amin Elhassan and Charlotte Wilder, Aldridge revealed that he butted heads with coach Popovich.

“That’s when I got to San Antonio and we were winning 60 games that first year,” Aldridge said. “And we were up 30 (points) at halftime every time and I wanted to play the fourth (period). Pop would fight me and be like ‘No, you can’t play the fourth.’ I’m just like, ‘I need my rhythm,’ so like I want to go back in the game in the fourth.”

It makes sense that Aldridge would want to play as much as possible, but from the Spurs’ perspective, protecting their star player makes sense.

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Spurs’ Zach Collins shares hilarious Gregg Popovich story: ‘You’re not shooting anymore’

During a recent podcast appearance, San Antonio Spurs big man Zach Collins shared an amazing Gregg Popovich story.

The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most successful organizations in the history of basketball, and a lot of that has had to do with one man – Gregg Popovich. Obviously, the players are the ones providing the on-court results, but without the leadership and guidance of Popovich, who knows where San Antonio would be right now?

Popovich has been the head coach of the Spurs since 1996, and over time, he’s cultivated a unique style. His dry humor and no-nonsense coaching make him one of the most likable figures in the league. And his players have had plenty of good, but funny, things to say about him.

During a recent appearance on the “Road Trippin” podcast with Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, current Spurs center Zach Collins told a hilarious story about Popovich.