The city of San Antonio hasn’t had much to cheer for in the sporting world since the Spurs’ Tim Duncan era. Now, San Antonio natives can look forward to witnessing the future of the NBA from the Frost Bank Center.
The Spurs’ rookie, Victor Wembanyama, whom they selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft, is panning out as expected. He made an immediate impact in the NBA during his debut season. For his rookie campaign, Wembanyama led all rookies in points with 21.4, rebounds with 10.6 rebounds, blocks with 3.6 blocks, second in steals with 1.2, and fourth assist with 3.9. He is the second rookie to lead all NBA players in blocks per game in a season, joining Manute Bol (1985-86). His exceptional play led him to a unanimous selection for the NBA’s All-Rookie team this season. The league announced on Monday. Along with Wembanyama, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren, Charlotte Hornets’ Brandon Miller, Miami Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Golden State Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski all join him on the All-NBA rookie first team. Holmgren – the runner-up to Wembanyama in the Rookie of the Year race – was also a unanimous first-team choice.
This news comes after he unanimously won Rookie of the Year from the same panel of 99 voters who cast ballots for the league’s awards this season. He became the first rookie to achieve this feat since Karl-Anthony Towns did it in the 2015-16 season.
After hearing the news, the 7-foot-4 Frenchman joined the NBA on TNT where he was interviewed by Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson Jr.
“My goals are always to help my team as best as I could and get better as the year went on,” said Wembanyama, who is only 20 years old. “I knew that in order to do that, I had to be good, individually, on the court and dominant. It was a huge thing for me. I think it’s a big thing to get. It’s always been really important, I’m glad it’s finally official.”
Wemby has also showcased exceptional defensive skills, resulting in a second-place finish in the league’s Defensive Player of the Year voting, just behind Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert. Nevertheless, he made the All-Defense First Team and will most likely get All-NBA consideration. Along with Wembanyama and Gobert, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Miami Heat center-forward Bam Adebayo, New Orleans Pelicans forward-guard Herb Jones and Los Angeles Lakers forward-center Anthony Davis make up the 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Wembanyama is the first rookie to be selected to the Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team (which has been named annually since the 1968-69 season. He also has the potential to become the first rookie to make the All-Defense or All-NBA team or both since Tim Duncan (1998) and David Robinson (1990), who were both on the Spurs and were No. 1 draft picks like Wembanyama. He can join the ranks of the only five rookies to have made All-Defense, including Duncan, Robinson, Manute Bol (1986), Hakeem Olajuwon (1985), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970), which would be a significant achievement. If Wembanyama makes the All-NBA team, he would become the 22nd rookie in NBA history to do so. It’s worth noting that only four rookies have achieved this in the past 45 seasons: Duncan, Robinson, Michael Jordan (1985), and Larry Bird (1980).
Even with all of the early accolades, Wemby acknowledges that there is always room for improvement. When Shaq inquired about the areas for potential improvement in his game, Wemby provided a detailed explanation.
“There’s plenty of stuff I plan to work on,” he said. “Physically, of course, the work is never going to be done. I’ve had my plan for months ready for all of my body. We’re going to keep discovering new ways to get better and to work on my body.”
Wemby, who scored 40 points, 20 rebounds, and seven assists on March 29 to become the first rookie since Shaq 31 years ago to record at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a single game, also discussed the areas he can improve on the court.
“For basketball, there’s a lot I want to work on,” Wemby, who is also the only player to have at least 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and five blocks in less than 25 minutes, told O’Neal. “There’s a lot Pop [Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich] and the coaches want me to work on. I’m excited. A big thing I can tell you is I’m already working on my balance and the use of my strength and learning to do use my body better in the space.”
The Spurs finished the season with a 22-60 record, the fifth-worst in the league. They had the 21st-ranked defense, allowing 115.6 points per 100 possessions. However, with Wembanyama on the court, the Spurs allowed only 111.2 points per 100 possessions, which ranked among the top five defenses in the league.
Despite the lowlights for the Spurs, Wemby is promising young talent and has brought a resurgence of hope and excitement to the San Antonio basketball scene. Looking ahead, Spurs fans should keep their enthusiasm about the future of their young basketball squad. In the upcoming NBA draft, the Spurs have two lottery picks in the top 10, which they can use to build around their young phenom and improve from being one of the worst teams in the league. They have two options. They draft a young prospect or use the picks as trade bait to bring in a more established complementary star player to go along with Wemby. Either way, the future is bright for the Spurs.
The 2024 NBA Draft happens on June 26-27, 2024, and the San Antonio Spurs have the 4th and 8th picks. The first round will be at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the home of the Brooklyn Nets, on Wednesday, June 26. The second round will be at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York on Thursday, June 27.
