San Antonio Spurs

Victor Wembanyama says he has already received messages from players wanting to join forces with him

Published by
Jesse Cinquini

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama revealed that some players — including prospects — have messaged him about the possibility of joining forces in the future.

“Yeah, I’ve received some messages, even from prospects,” Wembanyama said when asked if anyone has talked to him about teaming up. “But I choose to stay in my role. But it’s — yeah, it’s a whole new world for me. It’s a whole new world that I’m eager to discover. But for sure — one day or the other, I have to be involved in this, I guess.”

Wembanyama — who was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft — has already taken the NBA by storm. During the 2023-24 campaign, he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals and a league-high 3.6 blocks per contest on 46.5 percent accuracy from the field.

From a statistical standpoint, Wembanyama was one of the most effective rookie rim protectors ever. He averaged the third-most blocks per game of any first-year player in league history, behind only David Robinson (3.9) and Manute Bol (5.0).

Additionally, across five games played in the month of April, Wembanyama averaged an otherworldly 5.6 blocks per game. During that span, he blocked at least seven shots on three different occasions and totaled nine blocks in a loss to the Denver Nuggets on April 2.

Wembanyama saved some of his best offensive play for the final stages of the regular season as well, considering he averaged 25.0 points and 6.8 assists per game in April.

In his final regular-season game played as a rookie — against the Nuggets on April 12 — he accumulated 34 points and led the Spurs to a one-point victory over the defending champions.

But while the Spurs have an ideal player to build around moving forward in Wembanyama, San Antonio’s season collectively suggested that the team is a ways away from contending for a title.

San Antonio won just 22 of its 82 regular-season games, which earned the team the No. 14 spot in the Western Conference. The Portland Trail Blazers were the lone squad in the conference to finish with fewer wins.

The Spurs’ 22-60 record on the season marked a tie for the team’s worst record in decades. They finished with the same record in the 2022-23 campaign.

Perhaps Wembanyama’s historic regular season will be enough to convince another elite player to join the Spurs and help the franchise get back to its winning ways.

Jesse Cinquini

Jesse is an aspiring sports journalist that has previously worked as a staff writer at SB Nation’s CelticsBlog and The Knicks Wall.

Published by
Jesse Cinquini

Recent Posts

Joy Taylor seemingly takes shot at Donald Trump: ‘It’s a free country for a couple more days’

The U.S. will undergo a major change next week, with Republican politician Donald Trump set…

12 hours ago

Report: Rival officials believe Cavs’ interest in Cam Johnson is ‘more serious’ than just due diligence

The Cleveland Cavaliers have done more than enough to catch the attention of the NBA…

12 hours ago

‘We don’t want him back’: Sources close to Heat locker room get ready for Jimmy Butler’s return

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is eligible to return from his seven-game suspension on Friday…

14 hours ago

Evan Mobley feels like there is ‘more to come’ for him as a shooter: ‘My confidence keeps going up and up’

Cleveland Cavaliers fans have to be thrilled with the progress that big man Evan Mobley…

1 day ago

Lions head coach Dan Campbell shares one non-negotiable for his players: ‘You either have it or don’t’

The Detroit Lions were one of the best teams in the NFL in the 2024…

2 days ago

Former Nets player criticizes Jimmy Butler for complaining about accounting issue with Heat

The apparent deterioration in Jimmy Butler's relationship with the Miami Heat has been well-documented, but…

2 days ago