Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Popovich, Sochan, Austin

Although Victor Wembanyama is anxious for the Spurs to become a contending team, he knows that building a roster capable of vying for a title is a “tricky” task that requires patience, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).

“I’m eager for us to win,” Wembanyama said. “But, at the same time, we have to be patient and trust the process. Of course, it’s our job to make it happen as soon as possible.”

As Orsborn details, Wembanyama also hinted that he might be involved in the Spurs’ roster-building process going forward.

“More and more, I’m part of the strategy for the future,” he said.“… I learned throughout the year more and more about how it actually works. It’s a big, big challenge for the front offices to not screw everything up and to build something for the future.”

Despite a strong rookie season for Wembanyama, the Spurs have a 14-53 record this season and project to be one of the three teams that will have the best odds for the No. 1 overall pick. San Antonio could also hold a second top-10 pick in this year’s draft, since the Raptors’ first-rounder will be sent to the Spurs if it falls outside the top six.

Here’s more on the Spurs:

• Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show (YouTube link) on Friday, Bucks star Damian Lillard referred to Wembanyama as “special” and suggested it may just be a matter of time before he’s a prime contender for MVP awards. “I think how competitive he is is what surprised me the most,” Lillard said (hat tip to Cody Taylor of The Rookie Wire). “And that’s what makes me think that very soon I can see him being the best player in the league.”
• Asked this week about whether he expects to complete his new five-year contract with the team – or perhaps even stick around beyond that – Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich wasn’t willing to speculate about his own future, according to Orsborn (subscription required). “I don’t think about where I’m going to be in four years,” Popovich said. “I think about what we have to do at practice tomorrow.”
• Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan is on track to play for Poland’s national team in this summer’s Olympic qualifying tournament, according to a report from Eurohoops, which relays an announcement from the Polish Basketball Federation. Poland will have to beat out Angola, The Bahamas, Finland, Lebanon, and Spain to claim a spot in the Paris Olympics.
• The Spurs hosted the Nuggets in Austin on Friday night and will play another game in the city (vs. the Nets) on Sunday. As Mike Monroe of The Athletic writes, in explaining the thinking behind the “I-35 Series,” Spurs CEO R.C. Buford likened the region to the Bay Area. “We have a market that isn’t in the top 10 in the country,” Buford said. “(But) when we connect our San Antonio and Austin markets we become one of the major players in the professional sports community. … Between Monterrey (Mexico), south Texas, central Texas and Austin, it’s the fastest-growing economic region in North America. So, we want to come meet our fans where they are. We’ve got great fans and have a community in Austin that’s been a part of our team and culture for years. It’s really just being the Bay Area — Oakland, San Jose, Santa Clara, San Francisco — that’s what this is. It’s 60 miles that separates us. How do we connect that?”