WEMBANYAMA IS A STAR
SPURS SHOULDN’T HESITATE TO GET HIM HELP ON THE BASKETBALL COURT
Victor Wembanyama’s latest one-man carnival show packed a month’s worth of spectacular acts into a single night.
During the San Antonio Spurs’ 125-121 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks last Thursday, the 7-foot-4 Frenchman threw an alley-oop to himself off the backboard, dunked over and through Brook Lopez after rotating the ball behind his back in transition, stuffed Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard at the rim late in the fourth quarter, drilled a game-tying three-pointer with a little over a minute left in regulation and drew three defenders to tee up Tre Jones for an unguarded three-pointer that could have forced overtime. The final damage included 27 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and a half-dozen stunning moments.
San Antonio need not regret a competitive loss to a top-tier opponent such as Milwaukee, especially when Antetokounmpo more than held up his end of the international star showdown with 44 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists.
Wembanyama, the hyped 2023 No. 1 draft pick, remains right on schedule for greatness.
Indeed, his stat line of 19.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.2 blocks has only been achieved by three other rookies: Hall of fame centres David Robinson, Shaquille O’neal and Alonzo Mourning, all of whom spent at least three years in college before they were drafted.
But an honest appraisal of the Spurs as they approach the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline
requires acknowledging that Wembanyama, who just turned 20, desperately needs more help. While it’s no great surprise that, entering Sunday, San Antonio (5-29) has the Western Conference’s worst record and is tracking toward another top lottery pick, the first two-plus months of Wembanyama’s career have been choppier than expected.
The Spurs suffered 18 straight losses after a promising opening week, and their minus-11.4 net rating is the worst mark since the Charlotte Bobcats posted a
minus-15 during the 2011-12 season. Young, rebuilding teams often endure growing pains as they pursue “organic development,” but that’s not the same thing as getting taken to the woodshed night after night.
San Antonio struggles on both sides of the ball but the worst crimes occur on offence. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich’s bold experiment of shifting Jeremy Sochan from power forward to point guard hasn’t panned out. Jones, a more traditional floor general, got his first start of the season against
the Bucks, but he lacks the size and athleticism to be an ideal initiator for Wembanyama.
In truth, there is no one on the roster capable of filling that role now or in the future. Devin Vassell is the Spurs’ top talent next to Wembanyama, but he is wired as a bucket-getter and should stick to what he does best.
For all of Wembanyama’s gifts as a scorer, shot-creator, finisher, rim-protector and help-side defender, the first few months of the season have made it clear he will only reach his full potential with help from a ball handling setup man. He’s tracking toward Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis, not Lebron James or Nikola Jokic. What’s also clear is that Antetokounmpo needed three years of gradual development to have a star’s impact when he first arrived in Milwaukee, but Wembanyama has already reached that point. He isn’t a project and shouldn’t be treated like one.
After selling off Dejounte Murray, Derrick White and Jakob Poeltl to position themselves to draft Wembanyama, the Spurs must now shift gears and become buyers to facilitate his continued growth. While bottom-dwelling teams typically cut costs and stack draft assets at the trade deadline with an eye toward the summer, Wembanyama’s exceptional game should make the Spurs an exception.
Finding the right guard to complement a premier big man is an age-old basketball conundrum. The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Magic Johnson to run “Showtime” alongside Kareem Abdul-jabbar, the Orlando Magic traded for Anfernee Hardaway to pair with O’neal and the Oklahoma City Thunder drafted Russell Westbrook and Harden to flank Durant on the perimeter.
To be clear, San Antonio doesn’t need to act rashly and mortgage its longterm flexibility. Chris Paul, Malcolm Brogdon, Tyus Jones and TJ Mcconnell are among the veteran stand-in options expected to be available before the deadline.
If Wembanyama is to be the heir apparent to Tim Duncan, San Antonio must find him an Avery Johnson as it conducts a search for his Tony Parker.