The San Antonio Spurs need to make life easy for Victor Wembanyama during his rookie season.
Huge expectations have been placed on Victor Wembanyama’s broad shoulders as he prepares for his rookie season. Big things are always expected from the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft but Wembanyama is no ordinary prospect.
The last time a rookie had this much hype entering his rookie season was when LeBron James entered the league back in 2003. All eyes will definitely be on Wembanyama to see how he will handle the pressure of resurrecting a once-proud championship franchise. Wembanyama could have the same effect that Hall of Famer Tim Duncan had on the Spurs when they selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft.
Duncan would go on to become an all-time great winning five titles for the Spurs and it’s a strong possibility that Wembanyama will have that same kind of impact.
3 Ways the San Antonio Spurs can set Victor Wembanyama up for success
Victor Wembanyama has a strong support system
Head coach Gregg Popovich is excellent at handling top-level talent, especially talent from overseas as we saw what he did for the careers of Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. Popovich has arranged for Duncan to mentor Wembanyama which is a genius move by the veteran coach.
Wembanyama will be learning from one of the greatest to ever play the power forward/center position. It has also been said that Ginobili and Parker will also serve as mentors for him as Popovich has ensured Wembanyama will have a top-notch support system at his disposal.
By surrounding this kid with greatness, he should be inspired to become great himself. Wembanyama has already had major success playing professionally in France as he was named MVP, Best Young Player, Best Defender, Top Scorer, and Best Blocker. The NBA has players who will be much quicker and more agile with elite athleticism but Duncan should be able to guide this young phenom to adjust to the speed of the NBA.
While helping him hone his craft, Duncan can also show Wembanyama how to become a leader whether it’s through his words or his play. Duncan may have been humble and soft-spoken but when he did speak up, his teammates listened. One of the more important things Wembanyama’s mentors can teach him is how to be tough mentally.
When things aren’t going his way and if he happens to struggle at any given time during the season, Wembanyama will have to learn to put the bad games behind him and figure out how to overcome the scrutiny and adversity. It is evident that he will face many hurdles during his rookie year but luckily for him, he has some of the best mentors any player could want or ask for.
There will be growing pains along his journey and he will have ups and downs. Once he gets used to the frenetic pace and physicality of the NBA, he should be fine. People have to remember that he is just a rookie and that they need to be patient with him.
On some nights he’ll appear to be the prodigy everyone expects him to become while he may not perform well in other games. With the support system that surrounds him, Wembanyama is set up for success.