Tag: 2023-23 san antonio spurs

Dan LeBatard calls out Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and calls San Antonio boring

Several other NBA cities are clearly behind San Antonio, to start.

French rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama won’t be going out partying and enjoying the nightlife of the city of his team, the San Antonio Spurs, as some younger players might. But on a recent episode of his eponymous show, Dan LeBatard (a known fan of the Miami Heat) insinuated that would not be much of a problem in San Antonio.

The subtext here is that LeBatard seems to think that San Antonio is a boring NBA city, and compared to that of his favorite ball club, he might have a point. But it’s not as dull as it is made out to be, either.

The Utah Jazz’ Salt Lake City, The Kings’ Sacramento, the Bucks’ Milwaukee, and the Pistons’ Detroit immediately come to mind as comparable or less interesting cities in the league.

The folks behind the “Alamo City Sportscast” took a closer look at LeBatard’s words and the reality that is San Antonio. Check it out above!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Should the San Antonio Spurs look to add Trae Young or Dejounte Murray?

Should San Antonio’s front office make a bold move to accelerate the team’s current rebuild?

Should the San Antonio Spurs look to add Trae Young or Dejounte Murray via trade this coming 2024 NBA offseason? One of the two Atlanta Hawks floor generals could end up being on the move this summer, with early rumbles suggesting that a Spurs reunion for Murray is less likely with the Hawks hoping to hang onto him.

But Atlanta is reportedly listening to offers from both with the partnership clearly not working out. Should San Antonio’s front office make a bold move to accelerate the team’s current rebuild around Victor Wembanyama? or is a patient approach the wiser path for longer-term, sustained success with Wemby?

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, sits down with KENS 5’s Casey Viera stops by to talk about the new rumor that the Spurs are not trying to add Young but are instead after Murray.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear their thoughts!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

New mock draft has San Antonio Spurs take 3-and-D forward

Still a little raw but polished enough to play with San Antonio next season, we’d be open to a flier on this young swingman,

Would it make sense for the San Antonio Spurs to use their late second round pick to draft a 3-and-D forward? If you ask Bleacher Report NBA draft expert Jonathan Wasserman his opinion, the answer is yes — and he has one in mind for the Spurs to consider in his latest mock draft.

Wasserman currently has San Antonio taking Baylor forward Jalen Bridges with the 46th overall pick of the draft this summer. A 6-foot-9 22-year-old, Bridges has been compared to Florida alum Dorian Finney-Smith. “Scouts are starting to mention Jalen Bridges in the second-round sleeper discussion,” suggests the B/R draft expert.

“After hitting 6-of-10 3s in two NCAA tournament games, he finished the year at 41.2% on 5.1 attempts per game.”

“Even if teams aren’t buying the improved self-creation and pull-up flashes, he’s developed into an accurate off-ball shot maker (15-of-27 off screens) with an excellent defensive profile,” writes Wasserman.

Still a little raw but polished enough to play with San Antonio next season, we’d be open to a flier on this young swingman,

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Should the San Antonio Spurs consider drafting Zaccharie Risacher?

Playing for JL Bourg Basket of Bourg-en-Bresse, France, the 6-foot-9 swingman is still a bit raw at just 19 years old.

The San Antonio Spurs are hoping to strike gold in their quest to use their first round draft assets to add talent that fits the style of play and age curve of French rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama in the 2024 NBA draft.

And alongside names like Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan from UConn and Rob Dillingham of Kentucky, fellow Frenchman and forward Zaccharie Risacher could be the sort of high-upside prospect that the Spurs hope to put next to Wemby. Currently playing for JL Bourg Basket of Bourg-en-Bresse, France, the 6-foot-9 swingman is still a bit raw at just 19 years old.

He can defend well in space, but doesn’t rebound or pass as much as someone as capable as he is at both should. His 38.6% 3-point shot is interesting if at low volume, though his free throw rate hints his jumper should translate.

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, sat down with Jack Thompson, formerly with San Antonio Sports Star, to talk about Risacher and if the Spurs should take him with their draft pick. Check it out above!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Are the San Antonio Spurs about to build a new arena?

We are hearing rumbles that this could be the case.

Could the San Antonio Spurs be about to splurge on a new arena for downtown San Antonio? We are hearing rumbles that this could be the case, with the arrival of star rookie forward Victor Wembanyama perhaps being part of the impetus to get a newer, better location to put some butts in seats to see the Wemby experience live.

Per Fox San Antonio’s Matt Roy, the Spurs’ parent company, Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E), has let it be known that they are in the midst of an “economic development project” to be located at the site of the current Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC), which is owned by the University of Texas – San Antonio.

Writing the State Attorney’s office about the project, SSE said “The documents in the request relate to the possible purchase, lease, and/or development of real property that involve SS&E, the city, and additional third parties to the economic development project.”

“The location of the property has not been publicly disclosed and the terms of the project and any resulting agreement involving the location identified have not been agreed upon or finalized,” they add. “Prematurely disclosing the location of these properties will adversely affect all parties’ planning and negotiating positions including SS&E’s.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

What do San Antonio Spurs fans think of Victor Wembanyama’s first season on the team?

Has he lived up to the admittedly tall expectations (pun intended) put forth by Spurs fans?

What do fans of the San Antonio Spurs think of French rookie forward Victor Wembanyama‘s first season on the team? The 7-foot-4 wunderkind began the season like Bambi, and ended it a serious contender for the NBA’s 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award.

And while he still has some work to do in terms of what he can accomplish on the other side of the court consistently, Wemby has taken giant steps forward (no pun intended) on both ends of the court this season. Has he lived up to the admittedly tall expectations (pun intended) put forth by Spurs fans at his arrival in San Antonio?

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, linked up with guest Chris Leija to share the fan base’s thoughts on Wembanyama’s rookie season.

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

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Zach Collins contract extension fingered as San Antonio Spurs’ biggest regret of 2023-24

His fit (or lack thereof) next to Victor Wembanyama may be a bigger reason to have buyers’ remorse for Collins’ big new contract extension

Was extending the contract of San Antonio Spurs big man Zach Collins the move that the Spurs would consider their biggest regret of the 2023-24 NBA season? The oft-injured swingman played 69 (nice!) games this season, the second-most of his NBA career, which oddly has little to do with said potential regret.

His fit (or lack thereof) next to star rookie forward Victor Wembanyama may be a bigger reason to have buyers’ remorse for Collins’ big new contract extension, according to Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes. “The 26-year-old started each of the Spurs’ first 20 games alongside Wembanyama, theoretically providing floor-spacing on offense and another big body to shield the rookie from tough matchups on the other end,” writes Hughes.

“It wasn’t the worst theory, even if the Frenchman showed quickly he needed no protection, but the numbers with those two bigs sharing the floor were rough from the start,” he adds.

“Big picture, the Spurs are in great shape. Wembanyama has the look of an all-time great, and the historic rookie numbers back up the eye test,” suggests Hughes. “But Wemby is San Antonio’s most important player since Tim Duncan, and it didn’t exactly set him up to succeed.”

We’re leaning more to not finding a little more talent to pair with Wemby at the deadline, but these minor issues are far from what plagues many other teams in the league, so we’ll take it.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Will Victor Wembanyama be even better with the San Antonio Spurs next season?

He challenges our understanding of how player development should work, even before he is done with his inaugural season in the NBA.

While pretty much everyone expected San Antonio Spurs rookie forward phenom Victor Wembanyama to be good in his first season in the NBA. But very few people were expecting his growth at this level to go from gangly rookie coping with the level of defense found in that league to a legit Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

But that is the allure of Wemby — he is like no player we have ever seen before, and challenges our understanding of how player development should work even before he is done with his inaugural season in the Association. Could Wembanyama be even better next season, given development arcs are rarely linear?

Or can we expect a little regression given how fast he’s come along?

To talk it over, the hosts of KABB FOX San Antonio’s “Sneakers and Cleats” podcast took some time on a recent episode. Check it out for yourself in the clip embedded above!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

San Antonio Spurs report card for the 2023-24 NBA regular season

What can we say about the San Antonio Spurs’ 2023-24 NBA season that can be expressed succinctly in a letter grade?

What can we say about the San Antonio Spurs‘ 2023-24 NBA season that can be expressed succinctly in a letter grade, report card-style? On one hand, they nailed the easiest draft pick maybe in the history of the league in the 2023 offseason by selecting rookie star forward Victor Wembanyama.

On the other hand, how do we grade the player development-oriented approach to the subsequent season itself? It ultimately led to a lot of losses for the Spurs, but also perhaps boosted the ceiling of a few prospects while getting a look at who fits for the future? Was this a worthy price to pay for a better (draft) future, or a mistake that might irk the team’s future superstar forward?

The host of the “TSR Sports” podcast took a close look at all the context and offered up his report card on a recent episode.

Check it out above to hear his assessment for yourself.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama named one of NBA’s biggest winners of ’23-24 season

The 7-foot-4 forward has indeed had one of the best rookie seasons in league history.

San Antonio Spurs rookie big man Victor Wembanyama has been named one of the NBA’s biggest winners of the 2023-24 NBA season by Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey. The 7-foot-4 forward has indeed had one of the best rookie seasons in league history, so it’s no surprise to see him cast so — as Bailey acknowledges.

“Wembanyama adjusted to the speed and athleticism of the NBA game faster than just about anyone could’ve predicted, and now the rest of the league has to be concerned about the future,” writes the B/R analyst of the French wunderkind. “Wemby can shoot from seemingly anywhere.”

“He drilled a dribble pull-up 3 from several feet behind the line during the comeback against the (Denver) Nuggets. He’s already perhaps the game’s most feared rim protector.”

“Beyond leading the NBA in blocks per game, he forced tons of about-faces from would-be drivers,” adds Bailey. “He’s an underrated playmaker and cheat code around the rim too.”

“The hype surrounding Wembanyama coming into this season was unreal. That he’s already exceeding it is even harder to believe. As a rookie, he’s made it clear he’ll be a perennial MVP candidate, and that could start as early as next season.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]