Victor Wembanyama & Spurs Thread (2024-25 Season)

[rk2023]

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Can’t really take this too much at face value given the comp faced, but Victor in a scaled down and more connective role on offense looks scary. He might go down as the GOAT lob-catcher & threat much sooner than later. The same goes as a backline & nail-area roamer. I’m really hoping the Spurs can get Lauri, because I think having one of CP3 and Tre on at any given minute helps a lot with mitigating a poor net rating.

Still very far from a contender, but a starting 5 of Paul - Vassell - Castle - Lauri - Vic could be a very interesting unit. The positional size from 2-5 is really tantalizing, and I think Paul’s feel on-ball as a table setter and passer could help Lauri and Vassell’s shot quality a lot. A lot of this hinges on Wemby himself taking a LeBron / Wade / Luka caliber rookie -> sophomore jump as a player. But I’m optimistic there

[rk2023]

If someone could sticky this thread, would be appreciated too.

[tsherkin]

If someone could sticky this thread, would be appreciated too.

None of these threads have been stickied; why would this one be?

[rk2023]

If someone could sticky this thread, would be appreciated too.

None of these threads have been stickied; why would this one be?

Isn’t the LeBron thread in years’ past usually stickied? Would be foolish to assume a more niche thread has such traction on here, but I feel passionate about the topic / hope to foster more PC Board discussion on the development of the Spurs and Vic himself. Just my thought process

[tsherkin]

If someone could sticky this thread, would be appreciated too.

None of these threads have been stickied; why would this one be?

Isn’t the LeBron thread in years’ past usually stickied? Would be foolish to assume a more niche thread has such traction on here, but I feel passionate about the topic / hope to foster more PC Board discussion on the development of the Spurs and Vic himself. Just my thought process

I feel like it'll likely be active just based on what Wemby will probably be doing next season. I know I'll be watching with great interest!

[O_6]

I’m expecting a lot.

Truly a special prospect.

[jalengreen]

Any premature guesses for when Wemby will make a strong case for BITW status?

[SNPA]

I am predicting Wemby will have a good season.


Like…DPOY/MVP race good. I have him as the favorite for both but the Spurs record could hurt his MVP chances.

[Colbinii]

I am predicting Wemby will have a good season.


Like…DPOY/MVP race good. I have him as the favorite for both but the Spurs record could hurt his MVP chances.

Wemby shouldn't be the favorite for MVP. He has a mediocre team around him.

He should be favorite for DPOY. I would also have him as an early favorite for All-NBA 1st team.

I think he will be an MVP caliber player, but fall short of all the 50-win MVP candidates for a 35-40 win Spurs team.

[ardee]

Any premature guesses for when Wemby will make a strong case for BITW status?

Year 3 I believe, just like AD did. In his sophomore year I expect Wemby to be a mid-level All-Star first half and start pushing the top 5-8 by the end of it. Can see averages of something like 24/14/5 with 3-4 bpg.

[Doctor MJ]

Just wanted to say: I love the Chris Paul acquisition.

Another year without a real point guard would have been a waste of time, but there's still much beyond that that the Spurs don't know about what Wemby will need. Bringing a guy in who is the active avatar of the point guard archetype, and who seemed in both OKC & Phoenix to embrace a teaching role for players who will continue beyond him.

Now as I say this, we know that Paul tends to grate on his teammates over time, and that much has to do with the attitude of the teammate, so all of this will depend on the Wemby-Paul relationship. I think it mostly likely that it works really well.

I think it's really hard to know how good the Spurs will be, because we don't know what Wemby will be - maybe he'll become the best player in the world next year, who knows? - but I'll say that I definitely see them as serious contenders for a playoff spot.

[SNPA]

I am predicting Wemby will have a good season.


Like…DPOY/MVP race good. I have him as the favorite for both but the Spurs record could hurt his MVP chances.

Wemby shouldn't be the favorite for MVP. He has a mediocre team around him.

He should be favorite for DPOY. I would also have him as an early favorite for All-NBA 1st team.

I think he will be an MVP caliber player, but fall short of all the 50-win MVP candidates for a 35-40 win Spurs team.

We are in agreement mostly. I have him penciled in for first team for the next 12 years.

I watched a highlight tape of him recently to keep things in perspective. I have them in proper perspective…he is the one. This is the best player we will see in our lifetime.

[tsherkin]

Just wanted to say: I love the Chris Paul acquisition.

Another year without a real point guard would have been a waste of time, but there's still much beyond that that the Spurs don't know about what Wemby will need. Bringing a guy in who is the active avatar of the point guard archetype, and who seemed in both OKC & Phoenix to embrace a teaching role for players who will continue beyond him.

Now as I say this, we know that Paul tends to grate on his teammates over time, and that much has to do with the attitude of the teammate, so all of this will depend on the Wemby-Paul relationship. I think it mostly likely that it works really well.

I think it's really hard to know how good the Spurs will be, because we don't know what Wemby will be - maybe he'll become the best player in the world next year, who knows? - but I'll say that I definitely see them as serious contenders for a playoff spot.

I love the acquisition for while he's healthy, no doubt. It's been 4 years since he played 70 games, 3 since he played 60, though, so I'm not expecting miracles in that regard. But while he's on the court, he's going to be the best player Wemby's played with in the NBA. It'll be really, really good, especially if they can space with shooters well enough. Should be a party to watch, as well!

[Throwawaytheone]

.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

What did stuck out for me last season was his absolutely insane catch radius and finishing ability out of lobs. All that with a bunch of really mediocre passers around him and still being himself a mediocre screener.
In this game we saw what he could do just having a guy like Nico Batum throwing him the ball a few times.
I am not sure where Chris Paul is now with his career, but I am so excited because Vic somewhat reminds me the discussions about Giannis in circa 2015, here.
It was obvious he was super talented but many (and myself as well, tbh) were seeing some kind of a ceiling in his offensive game because of his lack of shooting. Ok, he can finish, but how far can he go with just that?
Well, Giannis could go pretty far with that.
How far can Wemby's finishing go? He looks like a powered up version of Anthony Davis, and that's alone a scary offensive player, breaking all molds and archetypes.
This without even projecting a realistic improvement on his on ball skills, shooting and he's already very good passing.

On top of that he sounds like a very smart and articulate young man. I am a fan, too bad that I normally like to jump early on underrated guys but the bandwagon is already awfully crowded.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

I hope the Spurs don't rush into contention. So often we see teams rot in mediocrity after their young superstar carries them to the playoffs, because they didn't have enough time to accumulate assets and talent. I was honestly convinced the Mavs would be resigned to this fate, it was kinda pure luck that led to Lively being the game-changer. A process like OKC have done is much more impressive and what I'd like to see the Spurs replicate, so they can win multiple rings with Wemby.

the point is not rushing but using your assets carefully.
The Mavs gave up on Barnes and traded several picks on an injured big man. Then traded him again and let Brunson go..
Vic is so good that you can absolutely go for it for the right guy, but you must know what you are doing.

[homecourtloss]

Victor in a scaled down and more connective role on offense looks scary. He might go down as the GOAT lob-catcher & threat much sooner than later. The same goes as a backline & nail-area roamer.

Many of us have been advocating for this since before his first game, though what he did offensively last year as a rookie, with not so good teammates and not real structure towards winning was impressive.

The effort and energy that’s going to be needed to make him a top echelon offensive player is almost surely going to come to the detriment of his defensive intensity and motor. Someone like KG was making tremendous defensive impact ride from his second year and you saw that defensive motor; just about every GOAT-level defender big man was making immediate defensive impact right from the get-go, e.g., Bill Russell, wilt Chamberlain, Kareem, Abdul-Jabbar, Thurmond, Ewing, Hakeem, David Robinson, Dikembe, Alonzo, Shawn Bradley, Duncan, etc. He doesn’t really look like a high motor guy at least not from what I’ve seen from him so without that motor, I’m not sure if he can reach his defensive potential which everyone is saying is at the goat level. Then you have the issue with everyone wanting him to play like Kevin Durant, and saying that he has guard skills which he really doesn’t.

I really hope he gets the right guidance and mentorship from Popovich and Tim Duncan to maximize everything out of him which to me would be a goat level defender, vertical threat on lobs, quick catch and turn around little jump hook (going to need extra strength for this, but he’s at the weakest he’ll ever be right now and there’s only upwards to go), excellent free-throw shooting, a three point threat when the team wants to go five out, and an excellent passer.

+5 to +6 on defense (+7 if he reaches GOATdom)
+1.5 to +3 on offense (+4 if he maximizes using his reach and height inside, is able to shoot free throws well, becomes a reliable lob threat, passes well and offensive rebounder)

If he can, and it’s doubtful, this would be a GOAT player and a player such as this is going to increase championship, odds for any team for a long time, and would be very easy to build around.

Centers take longer to develop so we might expect to see Scoot and Miller delivering a more immediate impact .

In the long run when he develops a stronger frame Wemby could easily be a foot above everyone else in the class.

Not on defense—the most immediate impact any rookie player provides is a big with his defense. Every single great defensive big was a high impact defender from day one: Russell, Chamberlain, Kareem, Walton, Ewing, Hakeem, David Robinson, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe, Duncan, KG (2nd year though signs were there in year 1 as an 18 year old straight out of high school), Dwight (year 2), etc. Almost all good defensive big were at least positive defenders right from the beginning.

It is much more likely that Wemby’s defensive impact will be greater than whatever impact Scoot or Miller have next year.

The question is what allows him to a) maximize impact and b) maximize potential peak in playoffs series.

As far as overall impact, I’m almost certain that Wemby in a scaled down offensive load with more focus on defense maximizes overall impact, but in a playoffs series, I think such a role allows for greater variance from teammates affecting the outcomes.

[Clyde Frazier]

If someone could sticky this thread, would be appreciated too.

None of these threads have been stickied; why would this one be?

Isn’t the LeBron thread in years’ past usually stickied? Would be foolish to assume a more niche thread has such traction on here, but I feel passionate about the topic / hope to foster more PC Board discussion on the development of the Spurs and Vic himself. Just my thought process

Nope player threads have never been stickied. The thread should be plenty active tho!

[Special_Puppy]

Wouldn’t surprise me at all if Wemby was a top 8 player this year

[wegotthabeet]

Wouldn’t surprise me at all if Wemby was a top 8 player this year

I was getting clowned in another thread for saying he will be top 6 by this time next year.

He’s already the best defender in the league. I’d take him over Tatum, Ant, Haliburton, Booker etc.. for next season. Not even just moving forward. Rare truly generational prospect.