Victor Wembanyama is now listed at 7-feet-4 — an inch taller than his listed top final season — however which may nonetheless be shortchanging him. When the 7-foot-4 Boban Marjanovic has stood subsequent to Wembanyama, Marjanovic has needed to search for at him. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst mentioned that the San Antonio Spurs star “is likely to be approaching 7-7.”
I am unsure what I am purported to do with this info. Is Wembanyama rising just a few extra inches any extra preposterous than this?
Or this?
Look, there are actual basketball inquiries to be requested of the 2025-26 Spurs. Can they area the ground effectively sufficient for his or her many playmakers to see driving lanes? How will their younger guards coexist with De’Aaron Fox? The story right here, although, is that their 7-foot-something franchise participant is coming into 12 months 3 and something appears doable. May you think about him averaging one thing like 30 factors, 12 rebounds, six assists and 6 shares? Positive. Would it not be that surprising if he turned the youngest MVP winner ever? Not likely. Is he already such a power on each ends that the Spurs are going blow previous their projected win whole and win a playoff sequence or two? I imply, I do not suppose that ought to be the expectation, however I can see it.
The State of Play
Final yr: Within the 1,152 minutes that Wembanyama performed subsequent to Chris Paul, the Spurs outscored opponents by 6.3 factors per 100 possessions. Paul performed all 82 video games in his age-39 season, however, six weeks after turning 21 (and 4 days after showing in his first All-Star Recreation), Wembanyama was dominated out for the rest of the season due to deep vein thrombosis in his proper shoulder. This meant that the budding famous person performed solely 120 minutes over 5 video games with Fox, whom San Antonio acquired from the Kings in early February with Jordan McLaughlin in alternate for Tre Jones, Zach Collins, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks and three second-round picks. Fox had season-ending surgical procedure on his finger in March, and the Spurs completed the season 34-48.
The offseason: San Antonio moved up from No. 8 to No. 2 within the lottery, a present from the basketball gods that allowed the crew to draft Dylan Harper. It then used the No. 14 decide to draft Carter Bryant, who earned a lot of consideration for his lockdown protection at summer season league. In free company, the Spurs signed Luke Kornet away from the Celtics on a four-year, $40.7 million contract that descends yr by yr and features a crew choice on the ultimate season. They signed Fox to a four-year max extension (no choice), signed Lindy Waters III to a minimal deal and re-signed McLaughlin and Bismack Biyombo. Additionally they traded Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and a 2026 second-round decide to Washington for Kelly Olynyk. Paul left for the Clippers and Sandro Mamukelashvili left for the Raptors.
Las Vegas over/below: 43.5 wins, per FanDuel Sportsbook
The Dialog
Spurs believer: Wembywembywembywembywembywemby.
Spurs skeptic: I urge your pardon?
Spurs believer: Wembywembywemby — oh, sorry, I used to be simply watching Victor Wembanyama’s preseason highlights once more. I assume I used to be in some form of trance; I had no thought you had been right here. You’ve got seen these clips, proper? I am unable to imagine this good French maniac is actual. I really feel like I am watching a tree do ballet.
Spurs skeptic: Um, yeah. I’ve seen the clips. Breaking information: Wembanyama is superior. However what do you make of the crew the Spurs are constructing round him? To me, they’ve completed a powerful job accumulating expertise, however it does not seem to be they’ve prioritized match. In some unspecified time in the future, I am guessing they’re going to do for Wembanyama what the Bucks did for Giannis Antetokounmpo when Mike Budenholzer arrived: encompass him with shooters so opponents cannot get away with packing the paint. I am not mad at San Antonio for the De’Aaron Fox commerce or the Dylan Harper decide, however I doubt they’d have completed the previous had they recognized they’d be capable to do the latter.
Spurs believer: The Giannis comp is fascinating. One large distinction is that Wemby himself could be a flooring spacer. Additionally, even when the Bucks had been at their greatest, their spacing wasn’t fairly pristine. Jrue Vacation did not shoot effectively from deep in any of their playoff runs, however he was unbelievable on protection and, together with Khris Middleton, received sufficient well timed buckets for them to win a title. I feel Fox goes to be a superbly superb spot-up shooter in San Antonio, and the Spurs owe it to themselves to search out out if Harper and Stephon Citadel can grow to be knockdown shooters. The way in which the league goes, you may’t have only one or two guys doing all of the playmaking. It makes good sense that they’ve invested in a number of gamers who can create for themselves, create for others and get into the paint at will. Harper already appears like he belongs, by the way in which.
Spurs skeptic: It isn’t simply the guards, although. I believed Jeremy Sochan was an excellent decide at No. 9 just a few years in the past, however now I do not know how he is supposed to slot in San Antonio offensively. Keldon Johnson was on an upward trajectory for the primary 4 years of his profession, however it’s not that onerous to determine why his minutes have declined for the final two seasons — he shot 30% on spot-up 3s in 2024-25 and is greatest used as a slasher. If the preseason is any indication, Luke Kornet goes to be simply as paint-bound as he was in Boston, somewhat than revisiting the stretch-5 function that he performed earlier on. Carter Bryant does some extraordinary stuff on protection, however opposing groups are going to flat-out ignore him on offense. If I am Mitch Johnson, I am giving severe consideration to holding Julian Champagnie within the beginning lineup when Fox is wholesome. The issue with that, although, is that then there’d be no shooters coming off the bench, until Kelly Olynyk finally ends up being within the common rotation.
Spurs believer: There are 4 factors I must make:
- You would not attempt to apply standard baseball knowledge to Shohei Ohtani, would you? Admittedly, I do not know a lot about baseball, however I do know that Wemby, like Ohtani, is unprecedented. If he can shoot over anyone who’s defending him and switch an extended 2 right into a layup in a single stride, how a lot area does he really want? And if he can hit 3s off pindowns with a launch level within the sky, how a lot area will that open up for his teammates?
- You make it sound just like the Spurs have zero taking pictures. Have you ever forgotten that Harrison Barnes and Devin Vassell A) exist and B) will probably be within the beginning lineup? Champagnie goes to play a major function, too, and Olynyk goes to be superior for this offense due to his passing and dribble-handoff recreation, not simply his taking pictures.
- Spacing is not every part. Even when it places a cap on the halfcourt offense, San Antonio can nonetheless steamroll everyone by getting stops, scoring in transition and dominating the possession recreation.
- It is OK if the items do not match completely! Wemby is 21; that is hardly a championship-or-bust season. I occur to suppose that the Spurs can win 50-plus video games as presently constructed, but when I am fallacious nearly each different franchise would nonetheless need to commerce locations with them.
Spurs skeptic: Cease transferring the goalposts! In fact different groups would like to be constructing round Wembanyama! What’s up for debate is the power of the crew Wembanyama performs for to make noise in 2025-26. Like everyone else, I’m inspired by how he performed within the preseason. I like that Keldon Johnson said that Wembanyama is “on a mission.” It’s straightforward, although, to get so enthusiastic about his limitless potential that you just overlook the boundaries of his supporting solid. San Antonio was 23-29 when it introduced he was completed for the season in February, and I feel it is going to be higher than that this time round. If it is going to make the massive leap you are projecting, although, it most likely must make some extra strikes.
