The San Antonio Spurs have a special opportunity with Victor Wembanyama.
The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery has come and gone.
The night was full of both pleasant and depressing surprises, depending on which team or teams you are a fan of. That being said, the obvious headliner was never in doubt, to the extent that long before May 16 had arrived, the date had been given another name.
The Victor Wembanyama Sweepstakes.
And which team won the coveted first pick in this year’s draft? Perhaps the best team for a prospect with the potential to be one of the greatest big men to ever step foot on the NBA’s hallowed hardwood. A franchise that has enjoyed a great deal of success standing on the shoulders of the giants that have worn their uniform, still led by one of the most storied coaches in the history of professional sports as a whole.
The San Antonio Spurs.
That being said, it is not a guarantee that Wembanyama will end up in San Antonio. The first overall pick has been traded in past years, such as in 2014 when the Cleveland Cavaliers traded first overall pick Andrew Wiggins to the Minnesota Timberwolves. While it is hard to imagine the Spurs moving the French phenom, it is still a possibility. That being said, whether Victor Wembanyama ends up playing for the Spurs or not, many expect him to follow in the footsteps of the giants that came before him.
Assuming he does get drafted by the Spurs with the No. 1 overall pick, Victor will find himself with two excellent guiding pillars of the game, with a coach who will likely attempt to mold Wembanyama’s game to emulate in the image of.
On one hand there is Tim Duncan, a player so refined in the basics that he was nicknamed “The Big Fundamental.” On the other hand, there is “The Admiral” David Robinson, a freak of nature that tore his way through the association for 14 years like a 7-foot typhoon.
Two drastically different approaches to the game that both led to Hall of Fame inductions when each titan finally retired. Which approach does Victor Wembanyamas’s game embody more? Let’s measure this young giant against those of the past and find out.