5 Rebuilding teams that took massive steps forward at the 2023 NBA Draft

San Antonio Spurs

Draft selections: Victor Wembanyama (1st overall), Sidy Cissoko (44th overall)

The San Antonio Spurs only made two selections at the 2023 NBA Draft, but they may be two of my favorite. It was no surprise when the Spurs selected Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick. He’s going to set the table for the next decade (at least) for the Spurs and their success as an organization is going to be directly tied to his development over the next few years.

The crazy thing about Wemby is even if he is just 50 percent of the player that many believe he can be in the NBA, he has a great chance of being an All-Star player. That’s amazing for the Spurs and scary for the rest of the NBA.

With a second-round pick, the Spurs took a gamble on Sidy Cissoko, an intriguing athletic wing with a defensive mindset. In one of the best developmental systems that the NBA has to offer, Cissoko is going to be put in a position to succeed. If he can find any offensive consistency in his game, he has the chance to be a good player in the NBA. He could end up being the steal of the second round.

For the Spurs, though, it ultimately comes down to Wemby. He’s the face of this year’s NBA Draft class and watching him develop will be quite interesting and, potentially, historic.