Category: Victor Wembanyama

San Antonio Spurs 2024 NBA offseason preview

NBA draft guru Sam Vecenie has put together an offseason guide for all the change that could be coming.

The San Antonio Spurs have star French forward phenom Victor Wembanyama already on their roster, a feat (unlike that of the Phoenix Suns) that pretty much any other team in the NBA would likely swap their rosters just to have the generational talent on their team.

But to jump start the winning such a player demands, the Spurs actually have a fair amount of work to do this coming 2024 offseason, at least if the winning is to start happening in San Antonio’s 2024-25 campaign. The Spurs could make more forward-looking moves that would delay that leap forward another season and reap a good lottery pick as a result, but whatever the team does, this summer will be a key part of the rebuild.

NBA draft guru Sam Vecenie has put together an offseason guide to help us fans smooth the path mentally for all the change that could be coming.

Check it out for yourself in the clip embedded above!

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Top Spurs offseason storyline is finding Wembanyama’s point guard

Will the San Antonio Spurs find a point guard for Victor Wembanyama this offseason?

The San Antonio Spurs need to do everything they can to help Victor Wembanyama win. And according to Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, the biggest offseason storyline in San Antonio will be finding Wembanyama a point guard.

“It doesn’t really matter where he comes from, but the San Antonio Spurs need to find the man who’ll make the next few years of Victor Wembanyama’s offensive development run smoothly,” Hughes wrote. “The trial-by-fire crowd might prefer to see Wemby struggle through another year without a credible organizer by his side. There’s probably something to be said for keeping the training wheels as far away as possible from a truly ceiling-less prospect because, who knows, maybe Wembanyama could develop into a primary facilitator if he has no other choice.

“It still feels most sensible to spend the summer searching for a setup artist, ideally one with a bright enough individual future to rate as something more than a stopgap…unless Tyus Jones is gettable at a reasonable rate in free agency. That’s as high-end as place-holding point guards get. Outside of mid-tier starters like Jones, the Spurs should take long looks at draft prospects like Serbian Nikola Topic and UConn’s Stephon Castle. Either might be gone before the Spurs pick at No. 4, but it seems like it’ll be easier for motivated teams to trade up in this draft than most in recent memory.

“San Antonio might not want to stop at just one, either. The best course might be pairing a tried-and-true vet like Jones alongside a prospect who’ll eventually take over the position. Wemby is going to make an All-NBA team next year regardless. But there’s no reason to make things harder on him than necessary.”

Bringing in a point guard this summer should definitely be one of the Spurs’ top priorities.

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Victor Wembanyama’s wildest plays vs. every team the San Antonio Spurs played in 2023-24

All 29 other ball clubs in their league and their fans got a rude awakening of a partially-formed Wemby’s potential to impact games.

Fans of the San Antonio Spurs know all too well what star French forward Victor Wembanyama is capable of. But in the Le Chesnay native’s rookie season in the league, all 29 other ball clubs in their league and their fans got a rude awakening of a partially-formed Wemby’s potential to impact games.

Winner of the NBA’s 2024 Rookie of the Year award, runner-up in the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award, and a 2024 All-Defensive First Team members, the 7-foot-4 wunderkind will be a force to be reckoned with for years. Wembanyama logged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game during the course of the NBA’s 2023-24 regular season, but it was the dunks, blocks, steals, and intangible moments that stick out as much as anything has.

To such an end, the folks behind the Golden Hoops YouTube channel put together Wemby’s wildest play vs. every other team in the league last season.

Check it out above!

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Five minutes of Victor Wembanyama slams with the San Antonio Spurs

Very few things Wemby did last season compare to his absurd dunks.

In his rookie season in the NBA, star San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama has accomplished a historic raft of accomplishments in his inaugural campaign in the Association. Winner of the league’s 2024 Rookie of the Year award, Wemby also came in second overall in the Defensive Player of the Year award, and was the first rookie and youngest player to ever be named to the All-Defensive First Team.

The Le Chesnay native put up 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game over the course of the NBA’s 2023-24 regular season while shooting 46.5% from the floor overall, 32.5% from beyond the arc, and 79.6% from the free throw line.

But very few things Wemby did last season compare to his absurd dunks, which the Spurs’ official YouTube channel recently published a five-minute highlight reel of the best of Wembanyama’s flushes from his rookie season.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to see them for yourself!

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Dejounte Murray reacts to Victor Wembanyama breaking his record

Dejounte Murray took to Twitter to react to San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama breaking his All-Defense record.

The San Antonio Spurs had a rough 2023-24 season, but Victor Wembanyama made it all okay. His stellar play has given the city of San Antonio plenty of hope for a brighter tomorrow, as the 20-year-old Frenchman already looks like one of the better players in the NBA.

Wembanyama concluded his season with a second-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting and the first-ever unanimous Rookie of the Year victory. He also earned a spot on the All-Defensive First Team. He became the first rookie to ever make the First Team and the youngest player to ever make an All-Defensive Team.

The previous youngest player was Dejounte Murray, who accomplished the feat with the Spurs in 2018. After Wembanyama broke his record, Murray showed him some love on Twitter, tweeting out some fire emojis. (H/t Ben Stinar of Sports Illustrated)

https://x.com/DejounteMurray/status/1792982902797660661

Normally, this type of thing would fly under the radar, but there have been some rumblings of a potential Murray return to San Antonio. So perhaps Murray was inadvertently praising his former teammate.

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Victor Wembanyama becomes first-ever rookie to make All-Defensive First Team

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama just became the first-ever rookie to make the All-Defensive First Team.

It was a historical season for San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama. While the Spurs as a team weren’t very successful, Wembanyama was nothing short of incredible. He became the first-ever unanimous Rookie of the Year winner, and on Tuesday, he was named the All-Defensive First Team – an honor that no rookie has ever earned before.

According to the NBA’s official communications account, Wembanyama is not only the first rookie to make the All-Defensive First Team, but he’s only the sixth rookie to ever make an All-Defensive Team in general. The other five are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-70), Hakeem Olajuwon (1984-85), Manute Bol (1985-86), David Robinson (1989-90), and Tim Duncan (1997-98), all of whom were named to the Second Team.

In addition, Wembanyama was voted the best defender in the league by his peers in a recent player poll conducted by The Athletic.

At just 20 years old, Wembanyama is already one of the best defenders in the NBA, and he’s only going to get better.

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Victor Wembanyama reflects on ‘challenging’ and ‘unique’ rookie season

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama called his rookie season “challenging” and “unique.”

The San Antonio Spurs were one of the worst teams in the NBA this past season, but it was all worth it because of the play of Victor Wembanynama. He finished the year as the first-ever unanimous Rookie of the Year winner and was also unanimously voted to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Already one of the best defensive players in the NBA, Wembanyama looks like he could be one of the top guys in the league overall. His rookie year was one of the best in recent seasons, and now, he’s ready to build on it.

Wembanyama recently spoke with the Spurs’ social media team, and they asked him for one English word and one French word to describe his rookie season. He chose “challenging” and “unique.”

https://x.com/spurs/status/1792299190867173596

With Wembanyama leading the way, the Spurs have a real chance to burst onto the scene sooner rather than later.

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Which NBA Draft prospects would fit best next to Victor Wembanyama?

Which prospects the San Antonio Spurs could snag would fit best next to Victor Wembanyama?

The San Antonio Spurs will have multiple opportunities to improve their roster this summer, and it will be important that they do so, as Victor Wembanyama just finished up one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory. In addition to free agency and the trade market, the 2024 NBA Draft will give them a great chance to add young talent to the team.

San Antonio owns the fourth and eighth picks in the draft, and with them, they could bring in two solid young pieces in hopes of improving the roster moving forward. But the question is, who should the Spurs be targeting?

In a recent YouTube video, Rob Trejo Jr discussed which 2024 prospects could be the best fits next to Wembanyama on the Spurs.

From guards like Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard to big men like Alex Sarr and Donovan Clingan, the Spurs will have plenty of options to choose from.

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Spurs star Victor Wembanyama named to NBA All-Rookie First Team

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama just wrapped up one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory. He became the first-ever unanimous Rookie of the Year winner, and in tandem, he was also just recently named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

The other members of the First Team are Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller, Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren, and Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski. Meanwhile, the Second Team is comprised of Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George, Thunder guard Cason Wallace, Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson II, Houston Rockets wing Amen Thompson, and Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II.

Wembanyama appeared in 71 games his rookie season, playing 29.7 minutes per contest. He averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and a league-leading 3.6 blocks per game.

With star big man Wembanyama at the helm, the Spurs have a very bright future ahead of them.

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Report: Victor Wembanyama ‘intrigued’ by idea of Trae Young duo

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is reportedly “intrigued” by the idea of playing with Trae Young.

According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is “intrigued” by the idea of playing with Trae Young. The Atlanta Hawks guard has been a rumored potential trade target for the Spurs for months. He revealed as much during a recent appearance on The Hoop Collective podcast. (H/t Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report)

“I will say I have talked to people who know Wemby who have indicated he is at least intrigued by the idea,” MacMahon said. “Now, intrigued by that idea and pounding the table are two very different things. I have no idea whether Gregg Popovich would be intrigued by the idea.”

The Hawks just won the first pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, so there’s a chance that they will take this opportunity to strip down the roster and rebuild. Trading Young could be the start of that.

Meanwhile, as the Spurs look to improve their roster around Wembanyama, adding an elite offensive player like Young could be a great way to maximize his talent on that end of the floor.

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