Article: Inside Pop's New Contract and Victor Wembanyama's Debut

[timvp]

https://www.spurstalk.com/inside-victor-wembanyama-gregg-popovich-contract/

[heyheymymy]

damn the Victor effect pushed Pop from a 3 year deal to a 5 year deal.

Pop knows VW will be special.

[buttsR4rebounding]

First David, then Tim, now Wemby…somehow CIA Pop got incriminating pictures of the Basketball Gods!

[Rocalcio]

Interesting to see that he has been asked to dribble a lot, while everyone was blaming him for that.

[spurs10]

Great read and encouraging for our future. People harping on his misses have to realize it was his first summer league game and he was told to 'experiment,' which is a great way to learn.

I'll be watching tonight. The following two games are on NBATV which I don't have, so hopefully the semis and finals will be on ESPN.

[ChumpDumper]

That explains the dearth of plays run for Wemby. Pretty cool letting him figure out some things for himself.

[John B]

Thanks Timvp. That’s curious on how that 3 years became 5. I’m sure with a lot of to do with Wemby getting on board and expressing himself he wanted to be coached by Pop. It reminds me of Pop promising Timmy he’ll be there for him. I think 5 years is the most he could promise to Wemby.

I like that they are giving Wemby all kinds of look, then I’m sure they will evaluate from there where he could be most effective at this stage of his career, without risking any injuries. I commented on another thread how I notice a smile on Pop’s face when they brought Wemby back in the last 4 minutes of the gane, as if as approval, “let the kid get the feel of the game.” Pop is obviously enjoying his time now. I’m sure they are working hard planning what’s next. They will roll with the current team, evaluate and then we would see big moves when the time comes. Good time to be a Spurs fan.

[spurs10]

Interesting to see that he has been asked to dribble a lot, while everyone was blaming him for that. Yep, explains a lot.

[Manu20]

Awesome read...by all accounts Wemby is eager to learn and grow. Seeing his games in France and his first summer league game he passes the eye test with flying colors. His talent and presence is extremely obvious even when he struggles. Will definitely be a fun season!

[Spurs Homer]

Very encouraging…like i told another poster who was not happy to hear Durant comparisons…

wemby got some Durant similarities and allowing him to roam the perimeter and do his own thing is only going to help him expand his game…

i was afraid pops old thinking and short leash on players would put a damper on wembys growth, but thank goodness pop is aware enough and wise enough to adapt and think in new ways!

[Rocalcio]

Very encouraging…like i told another poster who was not happy to hear Durant comparisons…

wemby got some Durant similarities and allowing him to roam the perimeter and do his own thing is only going to help him expand his game…

i was afraid pops old thinking and short leash on players would put a damper on wembys growth, but thank goodness pop is aware enough and wise enough to adapt and think in new ways!

He did the same with Manu.

[mo7888]

Great read! Great insight!

[Spurs Homer]

He did the same with Manu.

yes he did…but pop (and all of us) are older and sometimes “old” thinking gets in the way as we become sure “our way” is the correct way and it is very hard to keep a fresh mind

kudos to pop!

[Knoxxx]

The unnamed scout counted 8 blocks not 5. I knew when they said he had 3 blocks at half I thought he had 4. Then I remember him being all over a jump shooter who launched an errant shot to where I suspected Wemby got a hand on the ball as he released it. Then the bogus foul call 2nd half where the guy launched into him and he easily rejected the shot. So basically yes, 8 blocks sounds about right.

The refs were very iffy at times, no doubt.

[Rocalcio]

yes he did…but pop (and all of us) are older and sometimes “old” thinking gets in the way as we become sure “our way” is the correct way and it is very hard to keep a fresh mind

kudos to pop!

It looks like, while aging, Pop is actually being more and more open to let players do their things and see what happens out of it. I had this feeling last season when he played all these young guys and didn't bench them after a mistake. Obviously that also comes with a tanking season when results don't matter.

[Harry Callahan]

The rim protection will be amazing. The layup line of the recent past will be knocked down. Carefree mid-range jumpers will get blocked or influenced.

This guy VW will earn his keep in many ways.

[tonight...you]

It looks like, while aging, Pop is actually being more and more open to let players do their things and see what happens out of it. I had this feeling last season when he played all these young guys and didn't bench them after a mistake. Obviously that also comes with a tanking season when results don't matter.
I think it started with Manu, but LMA really opened his eyes also.
Aldridge didn't like Pop pigeon-holing him into Pop's vision as a player and requested a trade.
Instead, Pop figured out he was in the wrong, so to speak, said he will let LMA be LMA and the guy ended up pulling the trade request and signed an extension.

Since then Pop has been much more lax on players and how he has wanted them to do what he wants them to do in comparison to his older self who was very rigid.

To be fair, he's also been adaptable enough over the years to overhaul the team's offense multiple times to fit his players so there's always that as a base also.

[Mr. Body]

The unnamed scout counted 8 blocks not 5. I knew when they said he had 3 blocks at half I thought he had 4. Then I remember him being all over a jump shooter who launched an errant shot to where I suspected Wemby got a hand on the ball as he released it. Then the bogus foul call 2nd half where the guy launched into him and he easily rejected the shot. So basically yes, 8 blocks sounds about right.

The refs were very iffy at times, no doubt.

A guard driving into a defender and getting the call is 100% how the NBA is called right now. Defense not allowed. It looks like they're going to call them on Wembanyama, too.

[tonight...you]

The rim protection will be amazing. The layup line of the recent past will be knocked down. Carefree mid-range jumpers will get blocked or influenced.

This guy VW will earn his keep in many ways.
Zero doubt. You can literally see the opposing offense change it's complete tone when he's on the floor.
It's almost surreal.

[Knoxxx]

A guard driving into a defender and getting the call is 100% how the NBA is called right now. Defense not allowed. It looks like they're going to call them on Wembanyama, too.

While the refs and stat keepers didn’t quite get it right, they could have been worse, such as calling a foul on that jump shooter he harassed into missing. I am hoping given how high Wembys profile and shot blocking skills are, it will shine a light on this problem of the offensive player launching into a properly positioned defender and drawing a “foul”.

[Seventyniner]

While the refs and stat keepers didn’t quite get it right, they could have been worse, such as calling a foul on that jump shooter he harassed into missing. I am hoping given how high Wembys profile and shot blocking skills are, it will shine a light on this problem of the offensive player launching into a properly positioned defender and drawing a “foul”.

If Wemby starts getting superstar non-calls, i.e. he can block shots without getting called for ticky tack fouls, he could average 4+ blocks per game. At least until opponents stop attempting shots near him, which is even more valuable for the defense.

[Ariel]

Really cool article, thanks. Experimentation is great, but we'll see how much his pride is willing to take, he's under the spotlight like few others have been and every mistake will be magnified, hopefully he doesn't take it too hard and is willing to keep trying a la Sochan's FTs.

He did the same with Manu.
It's more like Manu broke him and he had to accept defeat :lol Now he's embracing it, he knows there's no point in fighting it.

[slick'81]

Assuming the dementia doesnt kick in,lfg!!!

[Mr. Body]

While the refs and stat keepers didn’t quite get it right, they could have been worse, such as calling a foul on that jump shooter he harassed into missing. I am hoping given how high Wembys profile and shot blocking skills are, it will shine a light on this problem of the offensive player launching into a properly positioned defender and drawing a “foul”.

He'll definitely block a lot of shots. I'm just saying that the "guard ramming into a defensive player going to the rim" thing is an automatic foul on the defender in the NBA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets over 10 FTA a game doing this. It's fucking ridiculous and Wembanyama is going to get fouls called on him for doing so.

[John B]

I think it started with Manu, but LMA really opened his eyes also.
Aldridge didn't like Pop pigeon-holing him into Pop's vision as a player and requested a trade.
Instead, Pop figured out he was in the wrong, so to speak, said he will let LMA be LMA and the guy ended up pulling the trade request and signed an extension.

Since then Pop has been much more lax on players and how he has wanted them to do what he wants them to do in comparison to his older self who was very rigid.

To be fair, he's also been adaptable enough over the years to overhaul the team's offense multiple times to fit his players so there's always that as a base also.

I agree on Manu. That was winning basketball. But with LMA, I think Pop just didn’t want to give up on a big signing. Spurs LMA was nothing compared to when he was a force at Blazers. The guy did not want to engage and settled on jumpshots and eventually long range, then aggravated by a mid-range shooting Demar, and the flawed roster continued, putting more shooters to counter, at the expense of defense (Beli/Patty/Forbes). That was Pop adjusting with the flawed roster. Now he’s building from ground up, shooters, ballhandlers, facilitators, players who could play defense and athletic to switch 1-5. Will see the real Pop again demanding tight defense, and awarding players minutes for their hard work… at least that’s what I’m hoping for.

[tonight...you]

I agree on Manu. That was winning basketball. But with LMA, I think Pop just didn’t want to give up on a big signing. Spurs LMA was nothing compared to when he was a force at Blazers. The guy did not want to engage and settled on jumpshots and eventually long range, then aggravated by a mid-range shooting Demar, and the flawed roster continued, putting more shooters to counter, at the expense of defense (Beli/Patty/Forbes). That was Pop adjusting with the flawed roster. Now he’s building from ground up, shooters, ballhandlers, facilitators, players who could play defense and athletic to switch 1-5. Will see the real Pop again demanding tight defense, and awarding players minutes for their hard work… at least that’s what I’m hoping for.
With you brother.

[Mr. Body]

This "See what works for you" stuff goes only so far. I hope it's an exaggeration. The Spurs know the NBA; they can't simply throw Wembanyama in there and tell him to find what works. I'm a bit miffed at the push to have him put the ball on the floor. Recipe for a disaster - and we saw the poor resuts.

The coaching staff has to guide him into areas of the game to explore. I figure they will do this, but simply throwing the 7'5" baby into the water and shouting at him to swim is not the right approach.

[scott]

Not just with Wemby, but with Chet as well, I think we are going to see some blocks per game stats that are astronomical in the modern era. Mark Eaton averaged 5.6 blocks per game one season in the 80s, and I don't think we'll see that... but we haven't seen anyone put up a 4.0+ since Mutombo in 95-96 (Zo came closed with a 3.91 in 98-99) and I think that may change.

Spurs record is DRob's 4.49 in 91-92, I think that could maybe fall at some point in Wemby's career.

[ChumpDumper]

Meh, 50 minutes of "experimentation" in SL is fine.

[Mr. Body]

Meh, 50 minutes of "experimentation" in SL is fine.

"Let's take our 19 year old and make sure he gets stripped constantly."

[mo7888]

This "See what works for you" stuff goes only so far. I hope it's an exaggeration. The Spurs know the NBA; they can't simply throw Wembanyama in there and tell him to find what works. I'm a bit miffed at the push to have him put the ball on the floor. Recipe for a disaster - and we saw the poor resuts.

The coaching staff has to guide him into areas of the game to explore. I figure they will do this, but simply throwing the 7'5" baby into the water and shouting at him to swim is not the right approach.

They will at some point. This is basic psychology, they're letting him discover things that won't work so they arent swimming upstream trying to convince him later on.

[R. DeMurre]

Multiple unofficial scorekeepers on various sites are saying they counted 8 blocks for Wemby, not 5. Interesting how a nuance like that affects the general public's perception of things. If he'd been credited with 8, the narrative would be a little more about him setting the all time record for blocks in a Summer League game.

[scott]

They will at some point. This is basic psychology, there letting him discover things that won't work so they arent swimming upstream trying to convince him later on.

That's what I'm reading into this. Let Wemby discover now what isn't going to work so he can be already bought in to the gameplan the Spurs will put together for him when the real games start.

[thiste]

San Antonio’s coaches (including Popovich himself, I’m told) gave the No. 1 overall pick one simple mandate: experiment. The coaches want Wembanyama to use his time in summer league to begin to learn what he can and can’t do against NBA caliber athletes.

Specifically, the Spurs coaches told him to handle the ball as much as possible — particularly in traffic.

They're doing it on purpose, setting him up to fail, be humbled and then be more coachable/agree to tone down his desire to handle the ball.

BTW I'm not saying I disagree with their assessment.

[thiste]

Multiple unofficial scorekeepers on various sites are saying they counted 8 blocks for Wemby, not 5. Interesting how a nuance like that affects the general public's perception of things. If he'd been credited with 8, the narrative would be a little more about him setting the all time record for blocks in a Summer League game.

While defending the perimeter most of the game.

[mo7888]

That's what I'm reading into this. Let Wemby discover now what isn't going to work so he can be already bought in to the gameplan the Spurs will put together for him when the real games start.

100%

[ChumpDumper]

"Let's take our 19 year old and make sure he gets stripped constantly."

"Let's shit ourselves on a message board in July."

[TD 21]

Not just with Wemby, but with Chet as well, I think we are going to see some blocks per game stats that are astronomical in the modern era. Mark Eaton averaged 5.6 blocks per game one season in the 80s, and I don't think we'll see that... but we haven't seen anyone put up a 4.0+ since Mutombo in 95-96 (Zo came closed with a 3.91 in 98-99) and I think that may change.

Spurs record is DRob's 4.49 in 91-92, I think that could maybe fall at some point in Wemby's career.

Those were set when the best players played significantly more minutes and the 3 was basically still in its infancy, which meant playing in congestion.

It's virtually impossible to do now, which is why it hasn't been done since. Block % is the best way to determine caliber anyway.

[scott]

Those were set when the best players played significantly more minutes and the 3 was basically still in its infancy, which meant playing in congestion.

It's virtually impossible to do now, which is why it hasn't been done since. Block % is the best way to determine caliber anyway.

Understood, but I also think with Wemby and Chet we're going to see premier shotblockers guarding on the perimeter more than they have in the past. Wemby's block on Miller's long 3 is an example. We've never seen players with this length be able to be relevant perimeter defenders like this.

[Spurs Homer]

Free wemby!

yes!

[scott]

And yes, Robinson, Hakeem and Mutombo were putting up huge MPG numbers while posting 4.0+ BPG numbers, but Mark Eaton's MPG weren't out of line with what we would expect a modern star to play (his career high was 34 the year he posted 5.6 bpg, but the year before he put up 4.3 bpg on only 26 mpg). Maybe the PER36 stats will be a better judge, but I think Wemby and Chet are going to take block #s to places we haven't seen in a long time.

It's unfortunate that Wemby doesn't get to play against Blake Wesley, that's good for an extra dozen blocks over a 4 game series.

[thiste]

The better stat to watch is how many shots in the paint does the opponent even attempts when Wemby's in there as opposed to when he's not. If people won't even try to shoot, Wemby can't block them.

[ducks]

If the spurs want him to figure it out playing against nba players he should play all the summer league games left

[tonight...you]

If the spurs want him to figure it out playing against nba players he should play all the summer league games left
You do independent work on the privy, or are you contracted with businesses?

[r0drig0lac]

Interesting to see that he has been asked to dribble a lot, while everyone was blaming him for that.

it seemed obvious looking at his behavior on court since the start.

[Knoxxx]

As was stated, the sooner Wemby sees what will work or not in the NBA that he relied on before the better.

Also Wemby has been outspoken about being himself and not changing his game. That is ridiculous, only a dumb ass would say that and actually mean it. I think that was just code for he didn’t want to just be a post up player aka the traditional center position. The second part would be that he expects to get plenty of touches and be a facilitator on offense. That all makes sense. Beyond that, we are pretty much just hearing player and coach speak, and of course with such a bright media spotlight they need some material for the monotonous repetitive press questions.

In the NBA, the defenses are expert at collapsing a couple of off ball defenders into the lane and they will strip you more often than not in traffic. Even a guard with expert handles can’t just drive into the lane with impunity in the NBA. And this isn’t even the ACTUAL NBA yet.

[ducks]

Spurs will let him try his way if it fails it is his fault And be more open to learn what to do
He wants to win

[PhantomDashCam]

I love what the Spurs are doing here.
The modern NBA is as much about space as it is one to one matchup advantages on the fly.

Wemby can get to his shot on the perimeter seemingly at will. He uses a series of size up moves not so much to befuddle defenders but to create a rhythm going into his shot.

It’ll take him awhile to figure out when and where he can drive into traffic, but his playmaking is so advanced for his age and height that you can live with high-ish turnovers initially.

[Pauleta14]

Nice insights, thx!

[tonight...you]

I love what the Spurs are doing here.
The modern NBA is as much about space as it is one to one matchup advantages on the fly.

Wemby can get to his shot on the perimeter seemingly at will. He uses a series of size up moves not so much to befuddle defenders but to create a rhythm going into his shot.

It’ll take him awhile to figure out when and where he can drive into traffic, but his playmaking is so advanced for his age and height that you can live with high-ish turnovers initially.
I'm with you on this.

[The Truth #6]

Let me figure it out is great to build team trust if nothing else. It’s ok for Pop to let go and assess.

[MannyIsGod]

I felt it was a good litmus test on how much anyone understood basketball to see their takes about Wemby's first game. The dominance he showed on the defensive end was extraordinary, and not while sitting in the lame but rather while guarding their best player on the perimeter. Yes, he got put on a poster and he got crossed, but he also made it insanely difficult for Charolette to score. The offense was ugly but it was also mind blowing at times too. Loved what I saw in game 1.