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Spurs Notes: Lottery Win, Wembanyama, Next Steps

May 17th 2023 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Although Victor Wembanyama stated publicly in the weeks leading up to Tuesday night that he didn’t have a preferred landing spot, he, his family, and his agents were clearly pleased with the outcome of the draft lottery, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who notes that the Spurs have been popular in France since Tony Parker and Boris Diaw played in San Antonio.

[RELATED: Spurs Win 2023 NBA Draft Lottery]

“Today was a good day,” Wembanyama tweeted at the end of a Tuesday that saw him score 22 points en route to victory in his French’s team regular season finale before he learned his eventual NBA destination.

It was a memorable day for the Spurs too, whose owner Peter J. Holt represented the team on stage at Tuesday’s lottery. Holt couldn’t hold back his excitement when he saw deputy commissioner Mark Tatum pull the Hornets’ logo out of the envelope at No. 2, shouting and jumping out of his seat.

“I think I jumped the gun, apologies to Charlotte and Mark,” Holt said, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “I said sorry afterward if any of my spittle went everywhere. I felt a little bad that I jumped the gun before they called our name. But it is just thrilling.” 

As Jamal Collier of ESPN relays, Holt said that a Spurs future which was “already bright” is now “going to be through the moon.”

According to Windhorst, the NBA asked teams in a recent memo not to disclose their pick if they won the draft lottery, but San Antonio general manager Brian Wright – who repped the team in the drawing room – couldn’t help but discuss Wembanyama’s upside on Tuesday night.

“People talk about generational talent, and they only think on-court skill, but it’s bigger than that,” Wright said, according to Collier. “His ability to be a great teammate, his ability to think the game, unique challenges, you see him doing things that you wouldn’t even have guessed someone could do. His approach, his professionalism. When you use the word generational talent, it extends beyond your ability to put the ball in the basket. And he’s unique in so many ways.”

Here’s more on the Spurs and Wembanyama:

  • Wembanyama was telling people close to him that he wanted to play for the Spurs, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, who spoke to current and former French NBA players to get a sense of what Wembanyama’s potential success in the NBA would mean for basketball in the country.
  • After averaging 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game in France’s top basketball league (LNB) this season, Wembanyama officially earned MVP honors on Wednesday (Twitter link), becoming the youngest player in LNB history to be named Most Valuable Player.
  • In a pair of articles for The Athletic, Sam Vecenie considers how the Spurs should build around Wembanyama, while John Hollinger wonders how landing the French phenom might accelerate the rebuilding process in San Antonio. Vecenie observes that the team still has some work to do in the backcourt, but has solid secondary building blocks in Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson. Hollinger writes that outright tanking for another year with Wembanyama in the picture probably isn’t viable, but suggests the Spurs could wait another year before more aggressively seeking roster upgrades.
  • LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk shares nine thoughts on the Spurs in the wake of the lottery win, speculating about next season’s starting five and how the team might use its offseason cap room.
  • Given the Spurs’ history of success with international players, the franchise should be a perfect fit for Wembanyama, David Aldridge writes for The Athletic.
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