Reviews have started to come in about the San Antonio Spurs’ No.1 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft: French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
The 7-foot-4 center is considered a generational talent who could lift the Spurs to great heights, just as David Robinson did after being drafted in 1987 and Tim Duncan in 1997. San Antonio has won five NBA titles with Coach Gregg Popovich, who coached Robinson and Duncan and now awaits Wembanyama in training camp.
Here is the kicker: Wembanyama, 19, is entering the league with more hype than Robinson and Duncan combined. He is supposed to be the next LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.
“Because of all the hype, he’ll have a target on his back,” Popovich told NBA.com. “So, more than O’s and X’s to begin with, we’ll be most interested in setting the framework in an environment where he’s comfortable, where he can be Victor. He’s not LeBron or Tim or Kobe or anybody else. He’s Victor, and that’s who we want him to be.”
Here is what commentators have been saying about the big shoes he is expected to fill:
— Sam Vecenie, The Athletic, wrote: “Wembanyama is the best draft prospect to enter the NBA since LeBron James. It’s that simple. Wembanyama is the epitome of a franchise changer. He led the French League in rebounds and blocks and was second in points. It’s hard to overemphasize how amazing Wembanyama’s long-term potential is on both ends of the floor.”
— Kyle Irving, The Sporting News, wrote: “With Robinson and Duncan setting the bar as two of the most productive rookies in NBA history, Wembanyama has some big shoes to fill — and I’m not talking about his size 20.5 basketball sneakers.”
— TNT’s Charles Barkley, on SiriusXM NBA Radio, after the No.1 pick told ESPN he wants to win a championship ring: “It’s stupid, number one. … The Spurs aren’t close to winning a championship, young fella! You probably ain’t gonna make the playoffs next year.”
— Grant Afseth, Sports Illustrated, wrote about Duncan’s decision to help mentor Wembanyama: “After a 22-60 season, the Spurs are rebuilding for the future. There is great excitement for what Wembanyama can help them achieve. There is much to be learned from Duncan, including how to make an immediate impact in the NBA.”
— Chinmay Vaidya, DraftKIngs.com, wrote: “There’s never been a prospect like Wembanyama, and there’s few places in the league that [develop] players better than San Antonio. This is the perfect place for Wembanyama to launch his NBA career and also finish it out, assuming he does what everyone thinks he’s going to do. Health is a concern, which is not uncommon for a player of his height. Outside of that, he should be an All-Star in no time.”
After San Antonio won the NBA Draft Lottery and the right to the first overall pick, Spurs managing partner Peter Holt — whose family has owned the Spurs since 1993 — said, “I might faint.” Watch his reaction here.
Now that Wembanyama is coming to San Antonio, Holt will likely be patient, just as he was with Robinson and Duncan all those seasons.
As for the 74-year-old Popovich, who will be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame this summer, Wembanyama gives the NBA legend another chance to wax philosophical about his legacy.
“Key to success? Draft Tim Duncan,” he said in 2021. “After that, stay alive.”
Popovich can now add “watch Victor Wembanyama take off” to the final chapter of his coaching career.
