San Antonio would end up with two of the best freshmen in the NCAA.
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most interesting teams in the league due to Victor Wembanyama, and it will only get more fascinating.
San Antonio currently has two projected lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, which could help them continue to retool around Wembanyama after picking Stephon Castle in the 2024 NBA Draft.
“Knueppel’s ability to shoot off screens, pull up off the dribble and spot up from deep vantage points with picture-perfect footwork and mechanics should keep him prominent in draft conversations, especially with the way he has contributed in other areas as well with his physicality, feel for the game and better-than-expected shot creation and defense.”
They also added that Knueppel is “arguably the best shooter” in this draft class.
Read more from them on Demin:
“Few freshmen have been more impressive than Demin, who is utilizing a tremendous platform at BYU to showcase his outstanding size, spectacular court vision, shotmaking prowess and all-around talent against, thus far, lower-level competition.”
Demin has looked fantastic as a tall playmaker for BYU, and he could provide a spark as the point guard of the future for San Antonio.
Victor Wembanyama doesn’t care for Chet Holmgren. At all.
In case you have any doubt about the competitiveness between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, the young San Antonio Spurs big man seemingly takes few things more seriously than his battles with his peer from Oklahoma City. This dynamic comes into focus again as the Spurs visit the Thunder on Wednesday.
On Wednesday afternoon, ESPN NBA writer Michael C. Wright revealed that Wembanyama actively avoids using Holmgren’s name. He used an example of where Wembanyama was asked a direct question about playing against Holmgren.
In response, Wembanayama just talked about the general matchup with the Thunder without even acknowledging Holmgren. Oh, OK:
Folks, here we are again. The Thunder and the Spurs are about to play in their first game against one another this NBA season.
That means we get to see Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama go at it. These are basically two basketball kaiju colliding. One is 7-foot-4 and the other is 7-foot-1 and they both do everything guards can do — sometimes better. It’s wild.
The comparisons will always be there. They’re both second-year big men despite Holmgren being drafted a year before. They both play the same position. They’re both in the same conference. Their playing styles are similar.
But should we call their relationship with each other a rivalry? It’s fair to call it that. But I’m not so sure it’s that quite yet.
Let’s dive into their relationship on the court so far.
Wait, so is this thing actually a rivalry?
Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Well, it’s competitive. Maybe it’s fair to call it a rivalry. But there’s no animosity between the two of them.
Holmgren was asked about his relationship with Wemby over the summer on Paul George’s “Playoff P” podcast. He quickly clarified that, while things are competitive, there is no “beef” between the two of them.
“People be like ‘Y’all got beef?’ I’m like ‘Beef?’ We’re out there competing, but beef? Like, beef means when I see you we’re fighting. Why do I got beef with him? I honestly don’t even know the guy. We just play basketball against each other. As competitors, neither of us want to lose. And neither of us want to, like, just let the other person get a bucket or anything. So, we’re always going to compete. If people take it as we got beef, those people don’t understand competing I guess.”
And yet, before Wednesday’s game, ESPN’s Michael C. Wright said in an interview that Wembanyama won’t even say Holmgren’s name.
It’s pretty clear that the competitive juices flow a little bit harder when they line up against one another.
It all started back in 2021 at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup. Wembanyama said losing to Holmgren and fouling out of the final game against Team USA is the “worst memory” of his young basketball life so far.
Here’s more from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst:
“It is only the worst basketball memory of Wembanyama’s life — “Just thinking about it makes my jaw clench,” he has said — and one of the great accomplishments of Holmgren’s. Though he didn’t play exceptionally by his standards in the championship game — Holmgren had 10 points and five assists — the American player was named the tournament’s MVP and returned for his freshman year at Gonzaga with a gold medal. Wembanyama had put up 22 points with eight rebounds and eight blocks before having to watch the final minutes from the bench.”
That competitive energy between them hasn’t disappeared.
What were their matchups like?
COMPETITIVE. In all caps. The games are fun to watch. They both do things we’ve never seen anyone like them do on an NBA court.
Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren battled it out in San Antonio ⚔️
Chet and the Thunder walked away with two wins in their three matchups. But Wembanyama would usually walk away with a highlight or two that made you go, “Wow. Can’t wait to watch more of this for the next 10 years.”
So, look. Maybe this isn’t a rivalry now. But the more these guys see each other, the closer this matchup becomes the real deal.
Holmgren told reporters last year, “I plan on playing a long time, and i’m sure he does too so there’ll be no choice but to go back and forth.”
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes
Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’ve had an awesome week so far and have an even better weekend ahead of you.
In doing some preseason research to gear up for the NBA season, I came across something that, surprisingly, got me pretty upset.
In looking at the NBA award favorites this year, I discovered that Victor Wembanyama is legitimately the betting favorite to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award this season.
His +725 odds at BetMGM are slightly better than Jalen Williams’ at +1000. Everyone on the board besides Wembanyama has odds longer than 10-1. But, at +725, betting on Wemby here could net you a solid return. It’d be a much better bet than Wemby for DPOY.
I get the logic behind it. Wembanyama feels like he’s due for a big season this year. There’s a solid chance he’ll end up as a first-time All-Star and he might even make an All-NBA team. He finished as the runner-up for DPOY last season and will probably be first or second again in the award race this year. If all that happens, you can easily understand why someone would vote for him as the NBA’s Most Improved Player.
But, if you ask me, there’s no way it should.
I don’t mean that it can’t happen — it absolutely can. I just don’t think it should. Victor Wembanyama has no business even being considered for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.
Look. There’s no question that Wemby, if healthy, should be one of the NBA’s best players. The kid is fantastic. He’s already the league’s best defensive player, according to his peers. He’s also gone toe-to-toe with some of the best players in the league and bested a few of them. Some of the NBA’s biggest stars are in awe of him.
But he’s also only a second-year player. And here’s the thing about second-year players: They shouldn’t even be eligible for this award. Especially when they’re lottery picks.
Second-year players are expected to improve. Nobody expects a player to be as bad or worse than they were in their rookie season when they had no idea how the NBA works. If that does happen, it indicates a problem with that player’s development. If it doesn’t? Great. That’s par for the course. There shouldn’t be a reward for that unless the league starts giving out Sophomore of the Year awards.
Victor Wembanyama was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft and was one of the most hyped No. 1 overall picks ever. He better improve. That’s why he was drafted where he was and why he has the hype he does.
Those are the players for which the NBA’s Most Improved award was created — the guys who went from being the 10th man on the bench to a starter in a season. Or, maybe it’s the guy who was drafted in the mid-first round and steadily improved but finally took that huge leap to an All-Star level (like Tyrese Maxey!).
This award isn’t for Wemby. Wemby will be named an All-Star so many times we won’t be able to count it. He’ll be on a ton of All-NBA teams. We should probably expect him to win a few MVPs, too. That’s how good the kid is.
But Most Improved? Nah, man. Come on. Let’s leave that award for the players it’s actually meant for.
The Clipper Curse lives on
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely with a knee injury. We don’t know how long Leonard will be out with his injury or what he’ll look like when he gets back.
What we do know is this: LA’s misfortune here could lead to an absolute steal for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Clippers traded away their 2025 first-round pick to the Thunder in the Paul George-Shai Gilgeious-Alexander deal (Remember that!?). Because of that deal, if the Clippers’ completely collapse, there’s a chance the Thunder could walk away with Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper or another talented prospect one of the best teams in the NBA has no business landing.
“The worst case scenario for the Clippers is that the pick lands at No. 1 overall and they would have traded the rights away to Oklahoma City.
This comes after the organization already traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and various other tremendously valuable draft capital to the Thunder to land George, who is no longer on the roster.
If that total also now includes the next No. 1 pick, which is likely going to become Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft, it would be unprecedentedly unfortunate for this franchise.”
If this happens? Man. Yeah, the Clippers truly are cursed.
You have to make the Paul George deal 10 times out of 10 because that’s the only way you land Kawhi Leonard. But you also lose out on a potential MVP candidate in Gilgeious-Alexanderand now you might surrender a top pick to a team that’s already set to run the West for the next few years?
That’s a wrap, gang! Thanks so much for reading Layup Lines today. Have a fantastic weekend. We’re only a few days away from meaningful NBA basketball! Let’s get it.
Peace.
-Sykes ✌️
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If you consume enough NBA media, you’ll note how often we pigeonhole players into rigid categories. The superstars get more than their fair share of the discussion, but everyone else falls into generalities: the game manager, the rim-running big …
If you consume enough NBA media, you’ll note how often we pigeonhole players into rigid categories. The superstars get more than their fair share of the discussion, but everyone else falls into generalities: the game manager, the rim-running big man, etcetera. After a while, players can blur together like uniform blocks within their segments, interchangeable and faceless. Categorization makes for easier conversation and analysis but loses the nuances that make basketball the best sport.
That’s a bummer! It’s fun to celebrate the individuality of each player, to look a little deeper into how they play. Below, I’ve gathered six players with quirks or tendencies that the general public doesn’t recognize enough. Some of these notes are borderline silly, and some are essential parts of what makes a player tick. But all deserve more (or at least a little!) discussion.
Disclaimer: I’m not always saying that these players are the absolute best at a thing. I’m simply highlighting unexpected skills or idiosyncrasies that aren’t well-known outside the local market. Don’t expect LeBron James to show up, but we may as well start with the biggest name (literally and figuratively).
Chet Holmgren addresses rivalry with Victor Wembanyama, claims there’s no beef.
As new powerhouses emerge in the Western Conference, expect the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs to return to their glory days.
That also comes with the bonus of seeing Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama square it off in high-stakes environments.
Both seven-footers have been compared to each other throughout their basketball journeys. The similarities are astonishing. They are generational defensive talent who can handle and shoot the ball. They both went top two in back-to-back draft classes and headlined last year’s rookie class.
Despite that, Holmgren doesn’t believe his rivalry with Wembanyama is personal. It stays within the court as two highly-competitive individuals fight it out.
The 22-year-old addressed this in a recent Paul George’s “Podcast P” episode.
“I would just say us being competitors,” Holmgren said. “We played against each other before we were even in the NBA. People be like ‘Y’all got beef?’
“I’m like, ‘Beef? We’re out there competing, but beef means when I see you we’re fighting, you know what I mean?’ Why do I got beef with him? I honestly don’t even know the guy. We just play basketball against each other.”
Holmgren further explained that any animosity he might have toward Wembanyama is purely about trying to get wins. Both players have done an admirable job of avoiding taking shots at one another when given the opportunity.
“As competitors, neither of us wants to lose, and neither of us wants to let the other person get a bucket or anything,” Holmgren said. “We’re always going to compete and if people take it as we got beef, those people don’t really understand competing I guess.”
This is a pretty reasonable answer at one of the league’s juiciest rivalries. It’s evident how badly it wants Chet vs. Wemby to become a storyline as all three of the Thunder’s matchup against the Spurs will be on national television next season.
Chet Holmgren is no joke, and he and Wemby make for a budding mega-rivalry over the next half-decade onward.
While much of the NBA is understandably infatuated with the rise of second-year star San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, he is not the only 7-foot unicorn in the league’s Western Conference to keep an eye on. Oklahoma City Thunder star big man Chet Holmgren is no joke, and he and Wemby make for a budding mega-rivalry over the next half-decade onward.
And it is not just fans and analysts of the Thunder who are getting excited about that potential recurrent battle on the hardwood out West. National analysts like the hosts of ESPN’s “NBA Today” show are also gushing about seeing the two big men battle it out in 2024-25. Cohosts Tim Legler and Malika Andrews had plenty to say about the Thunder and the Spurs colliding this coming season.
Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what the duo had to say about a reprisal of Chet vs. Wemby in the 2024-25 NBA Cup and beyond.
NBA puts Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama in national spotlight during 2024-25 season.
Like the previous iteration, expect an old rivalry to be renewed here in the coming years.
After examining the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2024-25 regular season schedule, it’s painfully obvious how badly the NBA wants the San Antonio Spurs to be their primary foe.
Like Batman to Joker, the league has pushed Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama to the national spotlight all three times they match up this season.
It makes all the sense in the world for the league to push this too. Holmgren and Wembayama were top-two picks in their respective drafts and finished as the top-two last season in Rookie of the Year.
Both seven-footers have similar playstyles as elite paint protectors who can handle and shoot the ball with extraordinary ability. They headline the next generation of versatile centers that will dominate the league for the foreseeable future.
While the Thunder are a title contender and Spurs are in a rebuild, expect the latter to catch up solely from Wembanyama’s ascension as one of the league’s best players.
Playoff clashes feel inevitable between these two titans. But that likely won’t happen next season. Until then, the regular season must be enough to quench the thirst of fans who look forward to this rivalry.
The Thunder and Spurs face off three times next season. The first matchup will be early in the season and broadcast via ESPN on Oct. 30. OKC will be the host.
The second matchup features some stakes as it will be an NBA Cup group game. The Thunder travel to San Antonio on Nov. 19 and will be shown on TNT.
The final contest will be late in the season on Mar. 2. OKC once more travels to the Spurs to take it on in front of an ESPN audience.
Even if neither player publicly acknowledges it, there is a simmering rivalry brewing between Holmgren and Wembanyama. Expect that to be the case for the rest of their careers as they battle it out in the Western Conference.
Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns will play the San Antonio Spurs at the University of Texas in February.
A battle between two Olympic basketball stars will take place at the Moody Center on the campus of the Texas Longhorns in February of 2025.
Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns will take on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on February 20, 2025 at the Moody Center in what will be a homecoming for Durant – who spent one season with the Longhorns in 2006-07.
Durant averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds in his lone season at Texas, earning AP and Big 12 Player of the Year while becoming the first freshman to win the Naismith Trophy as the best player in college hoops.
The Moody Center has hosted the Spurs in a pair of games each of the past two seasons since opening in 2022, although this will be Durant’s first time playing in the arena.
The future Hall of Famer had his jersey retired by Texas in 2008 and the men’s basketball facility named after him in 2017 after he made a $3 million contribution.
Durant and Team USA secured a gold medal victory over Wembanyama and France last week in Paris, giving KD his fourth gold medal ahead of his age-35 season.
“I made it clear to him that I wanted to learn from him and perhaps only steal one or two of his secret techniques,” said Wemby.
It’s always a historical moment when an all-time great and a generational talent on the upswing of their career meet. And when the younger player grew up a fan of the older, it adds an extra layer of intrigue. Such was the case when star San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama got a chance to talk with Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant after his French National Team fell to Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Wemby opened up on the exchange with Durant in a recent interview with French news outlet “M6 Info”. “Clearly this is my personal childhood favorite,” offered the French forward (translation theirs via Clutch Points).
“He became my favorite player, and … there was this one classic moment for encouragement and congratulations to each other (after Team USA won the gold).”
“I made it clear to him that I wanted to learn from him and perhaps only steal one or two of his secret techniques,” explained Wembanyama.
And understandably given the two share a massive if wiry frame that makes them so hard to guard. With Wemby already a monster on the defensive side of the game, it makes all the sense in the world to study up on the Slim Reaper’s game.
