Category: Victor Wembanyama

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama opens up on his offseason so far

Wemby sat down for a recent interview with French YouTube channel “Brut”.

Before his rookie season, one of the biggest knocks against star San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama finding success at the NBA level was his rail-thin physique. He has since silenced those doubters for now with his play on the court, but was asked about those doubters in a recent interview with French YouTube channel “Brut“. Wemby answered said doubters with a simple reply (translate by YouTube from French), saying “as long as I know I have it, there’s no reason to worry.”

Asked if he doesn’t fall for such distractions, he replied that it was “not true, I think it’s normal to have small weaknesses at times. But I don’t know of any distraction that could harm my career.” He did admit to a weakness for reading science fiction and fantasy books, however.

“It’s true, it’s really the only one, almost, for the moment, the only genre that I read well here. I love it. It fascinates me; the last book that I finished is the sixth book of ‘The Witcher’.”

As to his thin physique, Wembanyama also admitted he’d put on some weight in his rookie season. “10 kilograms — no, 4-5 maybe.” He’s also doing yoga, though not to improve his flexibility, as the interviewer suggested.

“That’s wrong; I am working my mobility, that’s it — it allows the body to move in a whole new dimension in terms of capacity, athletic capacity, so it’s really very important.”

A whole new dimension of athletic capacity for THIS guy? No wonder he warned the world after winning silver in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

To 10 plays by San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Wembanyama put up a host of highlight reel plays over the course of his time playing for Team France.

Given what we have seen from San Antonio Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama in his rookie season in the NBA (and the fact that the 2024 Paris Olympics were held in his native France), it probably should not surprise us how much of a force Wemby was on the court on the way to helping push the French National Team to silver.

Under the Spurs star’s excellent play, Team France faced the best of the best in the world, and was competitive against the US National Team in the Olympic Men’s 5 Ă— 5 Basketball final until late in the game. And this Team USA being compared to the 1992 Dream Team in terms of talent!

Wembanyama put up a host of highlight reel plays over the course of his time playing for Team France in Paris and prior Olympic tilts.

To see them all for yourself again (or for the first time, for that matter), check out the clip embedded above put together by the folks at the “Hoopsman” YouTube channel.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

San Antonio Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama may not be done growing

And yes, we mean that in more than one sense, as scary as that is.

When rising San Antonio Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama arrived in the NBA after playing professionally in Europe, the expectation was that the French big man would need some time to get up to speed. And this ended up being the case on both ends of the court, though he went from barely playable defensively to a legit Defensive Player of the Year candidate in less than a full season.

That kind of growth is unheard of, and the other kind of growth may bot be done for Wemby given his young age, which is frightening to think about given he is already a devastating weapon due to his unearthly measurables.

How much more can Wembanyama grow in both senses of the word?

The folks behind the “TSR Sports” YouTube channel took a deep dive on the topic in a recent episode of their show. Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say about Wemby’s continued growth and what it means to the league.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Victor Wembanyama preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics with Rudy Gobert

The duo will helm one of the more lethal units competing for hardware in their native country this summer.

The San Antonio Spurs might be deep into the depths of their 2024 NBA offseason, but that does not mean that the team’s players are not on the court honing their craft.

And that includes the Spurs players who intend to take part in their native country’s international play in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Star Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama in particular, who plans to play for the French National Team, was recently sighted throwing up lobs and flushing them with Team France teammate Rudy Gobert. The duo will helm one of the more lethal units competing for hardware in their native country this summer.

And they are likely to come away with at least Bronze in a heady field of international competition — and even with a strong Team USA, Gold is not out of the question for Wemby and Co.

The folks behind the “Chaz NBA” YouTube channel recently shared a clip of Wembanyama and Gobert getting ready for the Olympics; check it out above!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Will star Utah Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen be traded to the San Antonio Spurs?

A deal sending the Finisher to San Antonio is potentially on the table.

Will star Utah Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen be traded to the San Antonio Spurs this offseason? With rumbles abounding that the Jazz forward could be on the move if Utah can’t find the right stars to surround him with, a deal sending the Finisher to San Antonio is potentially on the table.

But will Jazz team president Danny Ainge pull the trigger on a deal for what the Spurs have to offer? And it is also rumored that San Antonio might have competition in such a swap from the Golden State Warriors. Do the Spurs have a better offer they can put up — and would it be worth it?

The folks behind the “TSR Sports” YouTube channel recently put together a clip examining the situation from a San Antonio point of view.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about bringing Markkanen to the Spurs.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Rasheed Wallace is blown away by Victor Wembanyama’s potential with the Spurs

Sheed know ball like few do — and ball don’t lie.

When it comes to elite big men, former NBAer Rasheed Wallace knows a thing or two. So when he gushes with praise over the capabilities of star San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, we probably ought to listen to what Sheed has to say.

The onetime bane of referees opened up about how he sees Wemby taking over the league in an interview on fellow former NBAer Gilbert Arenas’ semi-eponymous podcast, “Gil’s Arena,” earlier this season. Sheed shares how he is blown away by the Spurs forward, and he, the other hosts, and Arenas debate just how good Wembanyama could become.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about the bright future of Wemby in San Antonio — and just how high he might one day soar in the hierarchy of the league.

After all, Sheed know ball like few do — and ball don’t lie.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Stephon Castle gives thoughts on joining Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Stephon Castle reacts to being selected by the San Antonio Spurs and is prepared to help Victor Wembanyama succeed.

The San Antonio Spurs added their first piece of the offseason on Wednesday with No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle out of UConn. Castle is expected to step in right away and give the Spurs a presence on the defensive end of the floor as well as provide some ball-handling on the other end.

San Antonio selected Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft and he went on to have a dominant rookie season on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year award. Now, the Spurs will have Castle join him as they move forward in the rebuild.

“I just can’t wait to get out there and show my versatility, especially with the kind of talent that we already have on that team,” Castle told reporters after being drafted. “It being the youngest team in the league right now, I feel like our future is pretty bright. I just can’t wait to get out there.”

With a guy like Wembanyama who is one of the top players in the league already, the Spurs will be looking to use his size and skill in the pick-and-roll game. Castle handled the ball a bit at UConn which gives San Antonio an option on that end of the floor.

“Just being able to show my playmaking ability with such a great teammate like that and just learning how to play off the ball at UConn, so being able to show that as well, especially with having a great teammate like Victor,” Castle added. “Being able to set ball screens for him and cut in space when teams are trying to load up on him. Just trying to use all aspects of my game to just impact winning.”

Shortly after being selected on Wednesday, Castle was on the phone with Wembanyama to begin preparations on how they can grow as players and as a duo.

“I just talked to him on the phone not too long ago,” he finished. “We were just talking about coming down to San Antonio and just can’t wait to get to work, and just excited for our future and excited for this upcoming season.”

It appears as if Castle and Wembanyama are already beginning to make it work in San Antonio.

[lawrence-related id=3565,3562,3559]

Clippers’ Paul George gives advice to Spurs to help Victor Wembanyama

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George has some advice for the San Antonio Spurs to help Victor Wembanyama.

The San Antonio Spurs have a generational talent leading the way in Rookie of the Year winner Victor Wembanyama. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick was as good as advertised as he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks for San Antonio.

As the Spurs now head into an important offseason, they now must find the right pieces around him. It would help them in a big way if they could get an elite point guard to run the offense and get him on some lobs on that end of the floor.

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George gave love to Wembanyama on “Podcast P with Paul George” and gave some advice to the Spurs on how they can help him grow:

The way he finished the year is scary for the league because I think the way he finished the year was the momentum he needed going into the summer. It’s just the personnel is not ready for all that he brings and his talents. Say, you had a CP (Chris Paul) or a (Rajon) Rondo, those guys that just know basketball and know that this (expletive) is 7-foot-5… somebody that can sit down and explain the game to him like this. If they front you, just spin, that ball is going to be there. He doesn’t have that type of personnel around him to do that.

The Spurs should take this advice and one has to assume it’s something they’ve thought about. This is one of the great franchises in the league, after all. They just can’t waste a guy like Wembanyama as this is one of those players who comes through once in a generation.

[lawrence-related id=3545,3543,3541]

How would Reed Sheppard fit next to San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama?

Sheppard can hit the 3-ball, and maybe better than anyone else in this draft.

How would University of Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard fit next to San Antonio Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama? The 20-year-old former Wildcat has been mocked in range of the Spurs pair of lottery picks in the 2024 NBA draft (at Nos. 4 and 8 overall), and has trended more towards 4 than 8.

While his shorter stature at just 6-foot-2 might make him a bit of a defensive liability on most teams, with Wemby playing with him, he could thrive knowing he has a safety new behind him. One thing Sheppard can do is hit the 3-ball, and maybe better than anyone else in this draft.

Is that enough to say he’d be a good fit with Wembanyama?

The folks behind the “SSPN: A San Antonio Spurs Podcast” YouTube channel recently took a closer look on a recent episode of their show. Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

How would Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht fit next to the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama?

Knecht, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard and small forward who can shoot the lights out on volume, is a fairly safe bet.

How would University of Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht fit next to the San Antonio Spurs‘ star forward, Victor Wembanyama? The question of fit next to Wemby is the defining issue for the ball club trying to build the right supporting cast around a truly generational talent.

Knecht, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard and small forward who can shoot the lights out on volume, is a fairly safe bet in that regard, given players of his archetype can fit in pretty much anywhere. And seeing as the Spurs were among the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league last season, it is safe to say that the Spurs could use his kind of help.

The folks behind the “SSPN: A San Antonio Spurs Podcast” YouTube channel recently took some time to weigh in on his fit with the Spurs.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]