Spurs needs to tank hard and target Wembanyama un 2023

[ace3g]

[Ariel]

https://www.fiba.basketball/basketba...a#tab=boxscore
15 pts (5/10 fg), 3 rbs, 1 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl, 1 to

[Russ]

Kind of a weird body makeup makes me wonder about durability.

Wemby's build reminds me more of Abdul-Jabbar than Durant. AJ was pretty durable.

[baseline bum]

Wemby's build reminds me more of Abdul-Jabbar than Durant. AJ was pretty durable.

His build reminds me way more of Sampson than Kareem.

[Russ]

His build reminds me way more of Sampson than Kareem.

I don't think so. He'll fill out, Sampson never did.

[BackHome]

Stop assuming he will be injured, he hasn’t been all season long, and his team (meaning the basketball team but also personal coaches, nutritionist…) his focusing on making sure his body will be ready for the NBA.

Rob I know you been following your boy Wemb...just curious what your thoughts on his team mate Bilan Coulibaly SF? So far my two favorite early second round picks is him and PF Azuolas Tubelis..

[Rocalcio]

So if you listen to Chuck, if you didn't go to College you won't be great in the NBA ? Doncic and Jokic agree...

[exstatic]

So if you listen to Chuck, if you didn't go to College you won't be great in the NBA ? Doncic and Jokic agree...

Does he know that GINOBILI didn’t go to college.

I think the important thing is to play a compe ive level of organized basketball. The French league would qualify. I can think of 5 FRPs that made the jump directly.

[Dejounte]

Wemby's build reminds me more of Abdul-Jabbar than Durant. AJ was pretty durable.

Yeah, Durant comparison starts and ends with Wemba’s ability to be an elite shooter at his size. The 10 min highlights show Wemba going full speed and those 10 mins are about the only 10 mins he’s actually being mobile in a full game. Durant’s a lot more mobile out there. Wemba is Wemba and is really a combination of multiple players. He’ll be great but I don’t think many people really understand how his game will be in the NBA.

This isn’t making a unicorn look not like a unicorn, this is an opinion from someone who’s not fearful of pointing out both strengths and weaknesses from a player considered to be the next great thing. I mean, LeBron couldnt shoot in his first five years and it haunted him to the point of the Spurs exposing it in the Finals by giving him 10 ft. Folks are afraid to give any sort of criticism to a player they’ve put on a pedestal. Wemba will likely go on to be great, but it’s fine to talk about every element of his game.

[Brazil]

Yes you're right, but Dubuisson wasn't the same kind of player. Don't get me wrong, he was good and I loved watching him play with his crazy hair, but Rigaudeau was another level. He could have been a very good NBA player.

Herve Dubuisson.. that's real old school stuff on the next generation I was a big fan of Dacoury, always thought probably wrongly that he could have been a solid rotation player in the NBA...

[Brazil]

also rascal takes are hilariously bad

Victor will play PF, he will shoot from 3s, he will block shots far from the basket, he will try to make plays.. that's who he is and why you draft him not for being a rim protector full time... that's some silly talk. You don't want him to defend Jokic

[Rocalcio]

Herve Dubuisson.. that's real old school stuff on the next generation I was a big fan of Dacoury, always thought probably wrongly that he could have been a solid rotation player in the NBA...

Foirest too.

T’es français non ?

[Brazil]

Foirest too.

T’es français non ?

and Forte !

Pour connaitre Dacoury oblige... lol

[Truckules]

Wemba has never been the flawless prospect no matter what the Wemba enthusiasts say. He will be scrutinized the minute his weaknesses are exposed with all the hype surrounding him. He’s going to get bullied inside and he’s going to be blown by NBA guards on the perimeter. Those are two legitimate things that will happen no matter how many excuses others will give. Despite all that, you still draft him because the upside is legendary. You try to hide his very large (at this time) deficiencies as best you can. As noted in a previous post, he joined a team where the goal has been to make him the first option and to make his numbers look pretty. Underneath it all is a player who will show he has serious things to work on when he gets to the NBA.

If he has to defend guards on the perimeter with any regularity then whoever the coach is needs to be fired. Also, with his length, he's still going to affect shots even when players get a step or two on him. To your bullied inside point, there's just not enough opportunity for that to happen in the NBA anymore. Posting up as a primary offensive strategy is only relevant for two players in the league: Jokic and Embiid. For everybody else, it's at best a secondary strategy. If I were a fan of the team Wembanyama goes to, I'd be happy if teams were constantly trying to post him up. I agree that Wembanyama has strength and footspeed shortcomings, but I think you're over-exaggerating the degree that those shortcomings matter.

[DAF86]

Damn, Charles with the boomer xenophobic bads. I thought we were past this point in NBA talk, tbh.

It is pretty clear for anyone to see that this kid will be a beast. The only thing that could prevent him from dominating is if he ends up being injury prone. That's it. There's literally no other question mark.

[heyheymymy]

When asked which of the lottery-bound organizations projected first-overall pick Victor Wembanyama would likely prefer to play for, ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony dropped a gem on the Zach Lowe podcast. "I think if you went to Victor Wembanyama’s camp right now and you gave them truth serum and you said ‘pick your ideal landing spot from those four’ I’m sure it would be the Spurs over those other teams…"

[Goob]

He is gonna get bullied maybe yes, unless he puts a bit more muscle on him.People did say similar things though about Durant and he is a Hall of Famer so really just depends.

[spurraider21]

He is gonna get bullied maybe yes, unless he puts a bit more muscle on him.People did say similar things though about Durant and he is a Hall of Famer so really just depends.

durant was super skinny but he wasn't really asked to play center or even PF early in his career, so it wasnt as big an issue for him. , as a rookie, PJ Carlesimo played Durant at SG. didnt work out, but he basically settled in as exclusively a 3 during his time at OKC, with ibaka is the shotblocker and perkins as the post defender (and nick collison rotating with them), so he wasnt really asked to guard bigs trying to back him down. at worst, he was playing against some physical wings, but nothing like the bigs wemby will be asked to defend

wemby will probably be asked to defend 4's in the NBA. luckily right now there aren't THAT many burly, physical guys playing the 4, but there are some like Towns, Zion, LeBron/Davis (depending on how the lakers play them). most are the more rangy athletic types like Collins, Mobley, Durant, etc

wemby's team has signaled that they dont expect him to bulk up too much because adding too much weight will make him susceptible to stress fractures and whatnot

[exstatic]

durant was super skinny but he wasn't really asked to play center or even PF early in his career, so it wasnt as big an issue for him. , as a rookie, PJ Carlesimo played Durant at SG. didnt work out, but he basically settled in as exclusively a 3 during his time at OKC, with ibaka is the shotblocker and perkins as the post defender (and nick collison rotating with them), so he wasnt really asked to guard bigs trying to back him down. at worst, he was playing against some physical wings, but nothing like the bigs wemby will be asked to defend

Other than the usual two Boogie Men, Jokic and Embiid, what other bigs will he be asked to guard, and why would teams attack him in the 2 point arena when it’s a 3 point league? They can’t trade 2 for 3, and win many games. Just look at us this year.

[spurraider21]

Other than the usual two Boogie Men, Jokic and Embiid, what other bigs will he be asked to guard, and why would teams attack him in the 2 point arena when it’s a 3 point league? They can’t trade 2 for 3, and win many games. Just look at us this year.

probably easier to get into his chest and use the rim to protect your shot than to hoist over a guy with nearly an 8 foot wingspan who is relatively nimble on his feet. i imagine that will be the main way people try to score on him

if the spurs trot out a lineup with wemby and sochan as the starting bigs there is a pretty wide list of guys he'd be asked to defend or box out that wouldn't be ideal. if they play him alongside a C, could certainly make things easier

[scott]

tbh, if we are so lucky as to land Wemby, I'd like our starting lineup to have Tre and Devin in the backcourt with Sochan and Wemby as interchangeable 3/4s in the frontcourt along with Collins. Tre and Collins being pieces that can be upgraded as opportunities present themselves. Keldon can be a bench spark that slides Sochan down to the 5 situationally for a small-ball lineup (that still has a 7'4" guy in it).

[John B]

Damn, Charles with the boomer xenophobic bads. I thought we were past this point in NBA talk, tbh.

It is pretty clear for anyone to see that this kid will be a beast. The only thing that could prevent him from dominating is if he ends up being injury prone. That's it. There's literally no other question mark.

It took KD going beast mode last Olympics to win USA the gold. Because NBA is NOT that tough as Chuck implies, the foul-baiting, flops, ticky tak fouls and defensive 3’s. Yes Wemby will be going against bigger NBA bodies, but as Doncic has said, it’s tougher to score in Euro League.

Wemby will be floating around the perimeter shooting open shots over shorter defenders, or blowing big defenders. I agree Wemby needs 2-3 years acclimation, but I think today’s NBA style will make it easier for Wemby (or any 19 yr olds) to get there. Unlike when it was Kobe, Garnet, Kemp, etc. They had Oakley, Mahorn, Malone just waiting to inflict pain

[Alain]

probably easier to get into his chest and use the rim to protect your shot than to hoist over a guy with nearly an 8 foot wingspan who is relatively nimble on his feet. i imagine that will be the main way people try to score on him

It takes two to post_up.

if the spurs trot out a lineup with wemby and sochan as the starting bigs there is a pretty wide list of guys he'd be asked to defend or box out that wouldn't be ideal. if they play him alongside a C, could certainly make things easier

And what about accepting the idea that he's a unique, never seen before, game changing player and think outside the box for once.

[spurraider21]

It takes two to post_up.

i mean yeah i guess when the offensive player is near the basket you can simply refuse to defend the post and give him an uncontested dunk. thats a bold strategy, cotton

And what about accepting the idea that he's a unique, never seen before, game changing player and think outside the box for once.

im all aboard wemby hype train. he's a remarkable talent and anybody whose thought process isnt "just take the uber talent and figure the rest out later" is doing it wrong

with that said, he is still going to have to play defense in the nba. that is where he's going to have his issues in the NBA, imo. its hard to imagine him not being a relatively effortless scorer

[Alain]

It took KD going beast mode last Olympics to win USA the gold. Because NBA is NOT that tough as Chuck implies, the foul-baiting, flops, ticky tak fouls and defensive 3’s. Yes Wemby will be going against bigger NBA bodies, but as Doncic has said, it’s tougher to score in Euro League.

Yes, at least someone gets it. Today NBA is ballet dancing compared to Euroleague or National teams tournaments. One game in Belgrade, home cooking officials, over agressive crowd, almost no limit hacking and bullying and you'll get more physicality than during the entire NBA season.