This past season, the San Antonio Spurs missed the playoffs for the fourth season in a row, extending the longest postseason drought in franchise history. But this time around, their failure paid off in a huge way, as they won the draft lottery and were able to select French superstar Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Now, with Wembanyama set to lead the way, the future in San Antonio looks as bright as ever. The big man is a freak talent on both sides of the ball. He can playmake, he can handle the ball, he can shoot, and most importantly, he can defend at a ridiculously high level.
Spurs center Zach Collins is very excited about the Spurs defense next season with Wembanyama down low.
“If he was just that tall and he wasn’t good at basketball, we would be better defensively,” Collins said via Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “But the fact that he is obviously very smart on defense and uses his length really well, it’s going to be so much better for us.”
Collins noted that Wembanyama’s presence in the paint will make the perimeter guys more confident, and everything should flow from there.
“I think it will give our guards so much more confidence to get up and pressure guys knowing we have him back there,” Collins said. “I’m excited.”
With Wembanyama as the new face of the franchise, how good will the Spurs defense be next season in his rookie year?
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