Tag: 2023-23 san antonio spurs

San Antonio Spurs jump three spots in Bleacher Report’s power rankings

San Antonio being graced with the first career triple-double of wunderkind rookie Victor Wembanyama is something worth noting.

Things are looking up for the San Antonio Spurs in the estimation of Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey, who has raised the Spurs from the penultimate spot in B/R’s weekly power rankings to No. 26 overall. Per Bailey, San Antonio being graced with the first career triple-double of wunderkind rookie Victor Wembanyama is something worth noting.

“Wemby went for 16 points, 12 boards and 10 assists in a 22-point win over (the Detroit Pistons). And over his last six games, he’s averaging 23.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.7 blocks,” writes the B/R league analyst of the Frenchman’s big breakout game.

“With this recent stretch, he’s surged into top-40-to-50 status in the league, and it’s no surprise his team may be looking to make a win-now move before the deadline,” adds Bailey, alluding to recent rumbles that the Spurs could make a move to improve the roster construction with a real point guard.

Perhaps even one as good as could be had if rumors about interest in a Dejounte Murray reunion actually materialize.

We think a smaller move might be on the table if San Antonio did go this route — think a target on the level of Portland Trail Blazers floor general Malcolm Brogdon — but a starter quality point guard would do wonders for this ball club.

And even a hint of such developments coupled with improved play from Wembanyama justifies a boost in the rankings in our estimation as well.

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What would the San Antonio Spurs do if the 2024 NBA trade deadline were today?

B/R thinks trading for “an All-Star-caliber point guard to jump-start this offense and create more easy opportunities for Wembanyama should be a priority.”

What would the San Antonio Spurs do if the 2024 NBA trade deadline were today? According to one NBA analyst, they would speed up their rebuild. Per Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, ball clubs “with 6-30 records and in last place in their conference don’t typically buy at the trade deadline, although these Spurs aren’t in a typical spot.”

Noting that famed head coach Gregg Popovich is no spring chicken with his 75th birthday set to arrive later this month, the B/R analyst notes “San Antonio already has its franchise building block in Victor Wembanyama and plenty of medium-to-high upside talents around him.”

“With cap space coming and plenty of future first-rounders ready to trade, the Spurs can speed up the rebuild at any time.”

Citing the reported interest of a reunion with former San Antonio floor general Dejounte Murray, Swartz thinks trading for “an All-Star-caliber point guard to jump-start this offense and create more easy opportunities for Wembanyama should be a priority.”

“Having nearly guaranteed a top pick in the 2024 draft already, the Spurs shouldn’t be afraid to buy.”

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Do the Spurs need to trade for a point guard at the NBA trade deadline?

Or is skill development of the players on the roster now a bigger priority?

For some fans of the San Antonio Spurs looking at a ball club clearly more focused on developing Victor Wembanyama and his young teammates, the question of what the Spurs need at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline may not seem to be an important one.

But speculation abounds nonetheless, and for The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, San Antonio ought to add a new face to its backcourt. “If it took an injury to Malaki Branham to finally get Tre Jones named as a starter, I’m not sure how else to say the Spurs need a point guard,” writes the Athletic reporter.

Extolling the potential of Wemby, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell, Iko notes that “Jeremy Sochan isn’t a lead ballhandler, but he’s lengthy, a solid defender and versatile.”

“They’re missing an organizer,” he suggests. There’s a non-zero chance that is no accident given the team’s plans to hone skills a winning focus would make fraught.

But Iko is correct to note that it “shouldn’t take 35 games into the season to realize (an organizer is lacking) … there’s no way San Antonio should be this bad.”

Unless it’s the future one is more focused on, though we would like to see what Wembanyama and Co. look like with a serious NBA point guard. Is it too soon, or will we see Dejounte Murray back in a Spurs uniform, or someone similar? Only time can tell.

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Has San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama turned the corner this season?

Is Wembanyama finding his footing, or is this just a short-term hot streak?

Has San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama turned the corner this season after an uneven start to 2023-24? Ever since the French big man had himself a 30-point breakout game against former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks earlier this month, Wemby has been looking good for the Spurs.

Averaging 20 points and 8 rebounds per game in recent tilts, the budding San Antonio star is showing a surprising amount of maturity in his game for his age, and vocal leadership on a young ball club that needs it. His court vision and positioning on the court has been improving as well. Is Wembanyama finding his footing, or is this just a short-term hot streak?

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, linked up with AP Radio’s Raul Flores to talk over how the French big man has been playing — and if they think it will continue.

Check it out in the clip above!

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Is San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama living up to his considerable hype?

Some analysts are questioning whether he has lived up to early expectations given the Spurs’ paltry win totals in 2023-24.

Is San Antonio Spurs rookie wunderkind Victor Wembanyama living up to his considerable hype so far this season? To be fair, there has been as much hype surrounding the French big man since his arrival in the NBA as there has any young prospect entering the league since perhaps as far back as LeBron James.

Those absolutely immense shoes should not be easy for anyone to walk in, yet Wemby has shown some serious flashes of the generational player he may turn out to become one day. His physical gifts need refining, however, if he is ever to attain such heights in the league (no pun intended for the 7-foot-4 forward), which has some analysts questioning whether he has lived up to early expectations given the Spurs’ paltry win totals in 2023-24.

Such was the topic du jour on Fox Sports “Odd Couple” show, which had hosts Chris Broussard and Rob Parker debating just how impactful Wemby has been so far this season.

Check it out above!

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Spurs’ Zach Collins on his play this season, his contract extension, and more

The Gonzaga alum recently sat down with host Emily Austin of the “Hoop Chat” podcast,

San Antonio Spurs big man Zach Collins is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his NBA career in 2023-24, putting up career highs in points and assists despite the addition of wunderkind rookie forward Victor Wembanyama to the Spurs’ frontcourt rotation.

The Gonzaga alum recently sat down with host Emily Austin of the “Hoop Chat” podcast to talk about his improved play this season. They also got into him finding his way as a player after several injury-filled campaigns with San Antonio and the Portland Trail Blazers, his recent contract extension, and how the season is going for the Spurs so far among several other topics.

Collins and Austin even get into the NBA’s new in-season tournament and some celebrity look-alikes of some current player in the league later in the conversation.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear Collins’ interview on the “Hoop Chat” pod.

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San Antonio Spurs trade guide for the NBA’s 2024 deadline

What do they need to do to surround Victor Wembanyama with the right players for where the French wunderkind is in this stage of his career?

Trade season for the NBA’s 2023-24 season has arrived in earnest, and with it, comprehensive analysis for every team in the league, including the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs. What do they need to do to surround Victor Wembanyama with the right players for where the French wunderkind is in this stage of his career?

The folks over at the “Utility Sports” podcast put together a very good trade deadline primer for the Spurs, highlighting what the team has to work with in terms of draft assets and contracts, an assessment of the players on the roster now, and a look into what the team could best use to speed up Wemby’s growth as an NBA prospect.

The wrinkles added to the Spurs’ trade prospects created by the adoption of a new collective bargaining agreement are not so critical with San Antonio as they are with other ball clubs further along in their cycle of (hopeful) contention,

But it does change the landscape for the Spurs ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline. To hear all you need to know about San Antonio’s trade season, check out the clip embedded above.

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