Inside the NBA, San Antonio is known as the “Iron Dome”, out of respect for the Spurs’ ability to control whatever the organization is doing. That’s why their two most recent business moves – signing coach Gregg Popovich for 5 years worth $80 million and limiting the number 1 pick Victor Wembanyama to two summer games – get everyone’s attention.
Because they spoke very loudly about Spurs’ intentions.
And what do Spurs want the world to know? That this is how (carefully) they will bring Wembanyama with them and this is who (Pop) will do it.
A Western Conference scout said: “He is only 19 years old and needs to develop to make the transition to the NBA. “I expect both load management and competitive management. Give him a cautious diet in the face of challenges early in his career.
“Since Spurs will pay him a max $350 million contract over a couple of years, if anyone in the NBA has a problem with that, they’ll tell them to get out.”
The “Iron Dome” will also clearly be put to full use when it comes to how careful Spurs are in developing the 7-foot-5, 225-pound Frenchman who is being hailed as the next-generation talent. according to the NBA. He was scheduled to make his Summer-League debut at the California Classic in Sacramento, the first game against Charlotte’s Horn and choose number 2 Brandon Miller on July 3 and then on July 5 compared to Lakers.
That plan was dropped without explanation, and the debut was pushed to San Antonio’s Las Vegas Summer Tournament, which also opened against the Hornets and Miller. Wembanyama played against both the Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers before the Spurs decided that the world had seen enough of him for now and although no injuries were reported, it was announced that his time in Las Vegas was over.
Giving Popovich – the league’s oldest head coach at 74 – a five-year extension is understood to be Spurs’ way of organizing people to know that they agree with him as he sees fit to take Wembanyama away. together.
“They want to let people know that we still have the best coach in the league,” said Western Conference assistant GM. “He was full of energy again when he won the gold medal (as head coach of the US national team) at the Tokyo Olympics. And he enjoys coaching the young Spurs players. last year. He loves the child since baylor (Jeremy Sochan). He is as energetic as I have ever seen him. What Victor is icing on the cake.”
It’s a first-class topping.
While some fans and the media found his two Summer League performances less than impressive, scouts and executives present were convinced that the only team would hold on. he is Spurs.
“It wasn’t anything he did, but it was his overall skill set that impressed me,” said Western Conference Assistant GM. “The only scary thing is that there’s so much hype around him – how can he live up to that? LeBron James) didn’t get this much hype. But Victor seems made for it.”
Feeding on that hype is something scouts, GMs and other executives expect Spurs to resist. No one has seen Wembanyama play anything close to 33 minutes a night but last year’s No. 1 pick and Rookie of the Year, striker Paolo Bancheroaverage for Orlando magic. And Wembanyama also seems to support that approach, as he also independently announced that he will not be playing for the French national team in the FIBA World Cup later this summer in order to focus prepare for his first NBA season.
An Eastern Conference assistant GM said: “Spurs will probably focus a lot on his body and managing his minutes, not letting him play in close quarters, etc. , this is clever. “They’ll take care of it right away.”
Everyone agrees that Wembanyama can still win Rookie of the Year with limited minutes of play, but Spurs won’t make it a priority.
“Wemby has the best chance (at ROY) by far,” said a Western Conference assistant coach. “He filled out the statistics table without even trying.”
But he is also expected to be a much bigger target for opponents than the Hornets’ pick of Miller or No. Scoot Henderson.
“They won’t be under the same pressure,” said the Western Conference assistant coach. “Every NBA player will be like, ‘I’m going to lock Victor.’ No one wants to be embarrassed by him.”
It speaks to high expectations for Wembanyama that assistant GM East said offensive expectations should be tempered by comparing him at this stage to the Lakers’ Anthony Davis (a player who scored 24 points per game in his career) rather than phoenix sun‘ Kevin Duranta champion scores four times.
“Wemby was right where I expected him to be,” he said. “His offensive game is closer to Anthony Davis than Kevin Durant right now and I don’t know if people who only watch the highlights know that. But his defense is already pretty high and will be where he shows his full potential the first year.”
No one has clear expectations for how Spurs will play him, other than they suspect he will be in central position, where he is more likely to face bigger opponents. was looking to test his physical endurance.
Western Conference assistant GM said: “I consider him a small striker or strength playing in the ring. “Anyway, the game became pretty much out of position. What position does Kevin Durant play? They’ll do a certain number of innings, so they make sure he hits the ball every time he hits the floor. Without a doubt, he has the skills that will allow them to play through him. It will be fun to watch, that’s for sure.”
But expect that joy to come in carefully monitored doses. Rival Western Conference scouts think it’s wise, pointing to the injury-ridden career of the No. 1 pick from the 2019 draft. Zion Williamsonand 2nd pick in the same year, Ja Morant. Both have explosive playstyles that make it difficult for them to stay healthy.
“If (Wembanyama) is a 15 to 20 year generation player, don’t beat him in Year 1 or 2,” he said. “And they can take Zion and Ja as warning examples.”
Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He has previously written for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, “Rebound,” about NBA forward Brian Grant’s battle with young-onset Parkinson’s disease, and “Yao: A Life In Two Worlds.” He also has a daily podcast, “On The Ball with Ric Bucher.” Follow him on Twitter @Ric Bucher.
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