San Antonio Spurs

Amid his slow start to the 2024-25 season, there is at least some thought within NBA circles that San Antonio Spurs superstar center Victor Wembanyama hasn't been himself.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, an anonymous NBA scout said they feel Wembanyama "has looked tired" so far this season after playing 71 games as a rookie and representing France at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

There may be something to that theory, as Wemby is shooting just 41.3 percent from the field and 22.6 percent from beyond the arc, while averaging 17.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 three-pointers made per game over nine contests.

Wembanyama met his massive hype and then some during his rookie year, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game, and shooting 46.5 percent from the floor and 32.5 percent from deep. He earned unanimous Rookie of the Year honors and finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year race as well.

Over his final seven regular-season games, Wembanyama averaged 28.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 4.6 blocks per contest.

This stretch included a 40-point, 20-rebound outing against the New York Knicks and a 34-point, 12-rebound effort versus the then-defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

The 7'3" big man then led France to a silver medal at the Summer Olympics, posting a team-high 15.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

Thankfully, Wembanyama avoided any serious injuries during his rookie season, although he suffered numerous ankle ailments.

Per ESPN's Andrew Lopez, Wembanyama rolled his right ankle three times over 12 days in December, leading to the team putting him on a minutes restriction and keeping him out of back-to-backs for a month afterward.

A left ankle sprain forced the Spurs to sit him on March 25 against the Phoenix Suns, and then Wembanyama rolled his right ankle on April 5 versus the New Orleans Pelicans.

While there is no indication that Wembanyama is currently dealing with an injury, he hasn't quite been the same player he was for much of his rookie campaign.

Even so, the Spurs are off to a solid 4-5 start, which has them trending much better than the 22-60 record they posted in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Wemby's next opportunity to get himself on track will come Saturday when the Spurs host the Utah Jazz.

San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan suffered a fractured left thumb against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, and he is scheduled for surgery this week, per a team announcement.

The specific injury update on Jeremy Sochan: pic.twitter.com/oB153yYp2W

— Matthew Tynan (@Matthew_Tynan) November 5, 2024

The 21-year-old Sochan, who is in his third NBA season, has averaged 15.4 points on 51.2 percent shooting, 7.7 rebounds and 3.0 rebounds over seven starts this season. The former Baylor star joined the Spurs after they selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.

It's a brutal blow for the Spurs and Sochan, who was enjoying a breakout season. His scoring efficiency was well up from his previous two seasons, and he had enjoyed massive improvement on the defensive end as well, with a career-high 109 defensive rating, per Basketball-Reference.

In Sochan's six full games, the Spurs looked much-improved from last year, going 3-3 after a 22-60 mark the year prior. San Antonio also got off to a 40-14 lead after one quarter against the Clips, but it was clear the loss of Sochan was too tough a blow to overcome. L.A. eventually stormed back and won 113-104.

Hopefully Sochan is able to return to full health as soon as possible and continue his promising season. In the meantime, rookie Stephon Castle should be featured more.

The No. 4 overall pick of the 2024 draft and national champion with UConn took Sochan's place in the starting five at the beginning of the second half. For the season, he's averaged 6.0 points on 31.3 percent shooting and 2.6 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game.

On the bright side, the Spurs should be welcoming back Devin Vassell, who has missed the beginning of the season with a stress fracture in his right foot. Head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters on Oct. 8 that he expected Vassell back sometime during the first week of November.

San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mitch Johnson is expected to serve as the interim head coach indefinitely while head coach Gregg Popovich is dealing with a "health issue," according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Charania reported the situation for Popovich arose before Saturday's 113-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 75-year-old wasn't on the bench due to an undisclosed illness.

"There is a great level of concern around the situation."@ShamsCharania with the latest on Gregg Popovich being out indefinitely after suffering a health issue Saturday. pic.twitter.com/FXePQNlu1M

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 5, 2024

"Mitch did a great job," point guard Chris Paul said after the victory. "Things happen within this league all the time, and just like with players it's 'next man up.' So shout out to Mitch."

Johnson began his coaching career in 2016 with the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League. He moved on to San Antonio in 2019 and steadily moved up the bench with the departures of Tim Duncan, Becky Hammon and Will Hardy.

Popovich's reputation precedes him. He's widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches ever, boasting five titles and an all-time record of 1,391 wins in the regular season.

With the Spurs heading toward 22 wins and a total rebuild in 2022-23, it looked like his legendary career was starting to wind down. Then San Antonio won the 2023 draft lottery and earned the right to take Victor Wembanyama first overall.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Popovich penned a five-year deal reportedly worth more than $80 million ahead of the 2023-24 season. That eliminated any doubt about his short-term future.

The Spurs matched their 22-60 record despite Wembanyama's arrival and his immediate emergence as a one-of-a-kind talent. Their 3-3 start points to what should be some progress on the court this year.

Following Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs' 113-103 victory over Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night, fans were impressed by Wembanyama's competitiveness against one of the best big men and defenders in the league.

former teammates, current rivals.🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/CP5GApqwVz

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 3, 2024

The Spurs improved to 3-3 on the season, while the Timberwolves fell to 3-3 after their matchup at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

Wembanyama finished the night with 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks while shooting 7-of-15 from the field in the victory. Keldon Johnson came off the bench and contributed 25 points, eight rebounds and two steals.

VICTOR 😤 WEMBANYAMA 😤 pic.twitter.com/OJDsRlyuEY

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 3, 2024

On the other side of the court, Gobert posted 10 points, three rebounds and one assist with Anthony Edwards adding 21 points and two steals.

In a chippy game between both teams, the Spurs led 62-58 at halftime. However, the momentum quickly shifted in favor of Minnesota, as they outscored the Spurs 33-25 in the third quarter and maintained their advantage for the remainder of the game.

A WEMBY STEPBACK 3 IS NOT A NORMAL 3 🤯👽 pic.twitter.com/FH5UFXAuIg

— NBA (@NBA) November 3, 2024

Despite the back-and-forth action, Wembanyama outperformed fellow Frenchman Gobert throughout the game, highlighted by an impressive step-back three-pointer over the 7-footer in the first quarter.

Wembanyama has averaged 18.2 points and 10.6 rebounds this season, making a case for Defensive Player of the Year while impressing fans who have taken to social media to celebrate the former first overall pick.

Gobert keeps trying to dunk on Wemby like the results are going to change. You're going to get blocked man

— Gyalis from Westalis (@belleneg) November 3, 2024

Victor Wembanyama loves playing against fellow French star Rudy Gobert. I'm sure finishing second in voting to Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year stoked Wembanyama's fierce competitiveness. Wemby has blocked Gobert at the rim twice on dunks, one clean and one a foul.

— Raul Dominguez Jr. (@DominguezCinco) November 3, 2024

Wemby cooking Gobert 5 mins into the game. Poetry.

— Joseph Hernandez (@JHernandez_9) November 3, 2024

Rudy Gobert has seen his last DPOY award.

Wemby is gonna win those for the foreseeable future.

— David (@d_alvar3z) November 3, 2024

Wemby 100% should’ve won DPOY last year over Gobert and im gonna keep saying that forever.

— Himbanyama🔑 (@KingKe3_) November 3, 2024

Wemby v Gobert is such an insane watch cuz u just got a taller Gobert who can do everything better

— Bernard (@bernardw1011) November 3, 2024

Wemby is EMBARRASSING Gobert 💀😭

— Joseph Hernandez (@JHernandez_9) November 3, 2024

Gobert is getting abused defensively right now 😂 And Wemby is going nuts

— Jared Dowdell (@3BuckChuck35) November 3, 2024

Gobert stop trying wemby😭

— Professional hater (@papi_teh) November 3, 2024

I hope this game, wemby shammgods gobert again

— ChesMike_G (@ChesMike_G) November 3, 2024

On Monday, the Spurs will travel to Los Angeles to take on the 2-3 Clippers.

Victor Wembanyama debuted some new footwear inspired by Star Wars ahead of the San Antonio Spurs' home opener on Saturday.

To celebrate his unanimous 2023-24 Rookie of the Year victory, Wembanyama arrived to the game with "Wookiee of the Year" Nike GT Hustles ahead of a clash with the Houston Rockets.

EXCLUSIVE: Victor Wembanyama has “Wookiee of the Year” Nike GT Hustles tonight for San Antonio’s home opener — celebrating his Rookie of the Year season and his love for Star Wars. pic.twitter.com/8RrPQn1Bca

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) October 26, 2024

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft also shared the list of his three favorite movies from the franchise.

Check out Wemby’s feet heat for tonight.

“Wookiee of the Year” Hustle 3. He’ll wear for home opener tonight to celebrate his Rookie of the Year in San Antonio.

Wembanyama’s fave movie is Star Wars

His top 3:
Revenge of the Sith
Attack of the Clones
Empire Strikes Back pic.twitter.com/sizbItE1EU

— Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) October 26, 2024

Wembanyama's enjoyment of the popular sci-fi franchise is well-known.

The 20-year-old revealed that he bought a Lego set of the Millennium Falcon as his first purchase following his rookie contract in the NBA, via SI.com's Matt Guzman. He's also previously discussed his choices for a starting lineup made up of Star Wars characters.

Wemby used his first NBA paycheck to buy a $850 Lego Millennium Falcon 🔥

(h/t @CultureCrave) pic.twitter.com/k3KrruFBRU

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 21, 2024

Wemby listed his Star Wars basketball starting 5 😂 @spurs https://t.co/edqFv3y3Ue pic.twitter.com/7TciaOgmEo

— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) October 26, 2024

Wembanyama is coming off an incredible rookie season. In 71 starts, he averaged 21.4 points and 10.6 rebounds to go along with a league-leading 3.6 blocks per game. While he shot just 32.5 percent from three, he still showcased the potential to become a deadly long-range shooter.

THIS WEMBY STEP BACK THREE 😳 pic.twitter.com/g6wq2zpMbq

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 28, 2024

He also wrapped up an impressive performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics, leading France to a silver medal victory. He nearly helped the French national team earn a spot on top of the podium, narrowly falling to the United States by the score of 98-87 in the gold medal game.

Although the Spurs lost their first game of the season to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, Wembanyama was able to help San Antonio get off to a much better start against Houston. He dropped 15 points and five rebounds through two quarters on 6-11 shooting, blocking a pair of shots.

The Spurs led the Rockets 62-41 at the half.

While Wembanyama attempts to help San Antonio improve in his second year with the organization, he also reflected on his rookie campaign with a Star Wars homage on Saturday.

Playing in his first real game since France's loss to the United States in the gold medal game at the Olympics, Victor Wembanyama was not at the peak of his power for the San Antonio Spurs in a 120-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.

Wembanyama told reporters after the game his conditioning was "a little hard" to overcome initially, but that is "not an excuse" for how he played.

"None of us really have played four games since [the] middle of the summer for me," he said. "It's a struggle. Every player in the NBA goes through it. Conditioning is not an excuse [for missed shots]. I'll have different weapons we need to know when to use. So, for the missed shots, it's more getting used to taking shots, getting used to again taking shots in a game."

The reigning Rookie of the Year scored 17 points on 5-of-18 shooting, grabbed nine rebounds and committed four turnovers in 28 minutes. He did play twice in the preseason, but this was his first competitive game action since Aug. 10.

Wembanyama's 27.8 field-goal percentage against the Mavs marks the worst shooting game of his young NBA career. His previous low-water mark was a 23.1 percent success rate on March 19, which also came against Dallas.

Dallas' gameplan on defense was clearly designed to put all of the attention on Wembanyama when he got the ball, especially inside the three-point line. There multiple bodies around him throughout the game, preventing him from getting to the rim.

Dallas' defensive plan against Wemby has been great. No airspace at all unless he's beyond the 3PT line, switching the CP P&Rs so he can't get free. Swiping at every post-up and entry pass.

— Yaya Dubin (@JADubin5) October 25, 2024

Dallas has done a good job on Wembanyama so far. He’s missed a bunch of shots on his own but only 4 of 14 attempts have been at the rim. San Antonio needs to do a better job setting him up. See what happens here in 4th.

— Russillo (@ryenarussillo) October 25, 2024

The Spurs aren't a great offensive team anyway, but scoring efficiency figures to be especially tough early in the season while they play without Devin Vassell. He is recovering from offseason surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot and will be re-evaluated on Nov. 1.

Vassell finished second on the team in scoring with 19.5 points per game and shot 37.2 percent from three-point range last season. The Spurs went 12-of-36 behind the arc on Thursday night.

Wembanyama is going to have much better games this season. The Spurs were just given a tough matchup against the reigning Western Conference champs to open the 2024-25 campaign.

Two of the top picks in the 2024 NBA draft faced off in the preseason on Thursday night, with the Houston Rockets defeating the San Antonio Spurs by the final score of 129-107.

Spurs guard Stephon Castle, the No. 4 overall selection in the 2024 draft, continued his strong start to the preseason. Castle finished with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists to go along with two steals in 24 minutes of action.

While he was only able to connect on one of his five three-point attempts, he still shot 5-9 from inside the arc.

Tre 🤝 Steph pic.twitter.com/94RYatgIaI

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 18, 2024

The former UConn standout has showcased his efficient scoring throughout the preseason, entering Thursday's game with an average of 9.8 points in 20.2 minutes per game on 45.8 percent shooting.

Fans were impressed with his latest effort.

Stephon Castle tonight:

16 PTS
4 REB
4 AST
2 STL
42.9 FG%
75.0 FT%
23 MIN

The future is bright bright pic.twitter.com/wDnAEhaCgE

— Spurs Culture (@SpursCulture) October 18, 2024

Stephon Castle is special! pic.twitter.com/HnbB6kVba2

— PJ Hoops (@RealPjHoops) October 18, 2024

At least we know Stephon castle got some true offensive upside to go along with his defense 🤷🏽‍♂️

— AyoDiamante (@DiamanteAyo) October 18, 2024

Castle now twice in preseason taking advantage of when he gets a big 1-on-1 in an iso.

Used the crossover to get by Drew Eubanks vs UTA and finished with dunk

Cleared out vs Steven Adams and made a layup

— Paul Garcia (TheSpotUpShot.com) (@PaulGarciaNBA) October 18, 2024

https://twitter.com/BenDuBose/status/1847093668856864949

Steph Castle basketball is fun basketball

— dylan (@dylangonzalez21) October 18, 2024

For a team that won 20 games last year, Steph Castle is too good to not prioritize.

— Eric Salinas (@EricSal_7) October 18, 2024

For the Rockets, Reed Sheppard had a quiet night. After scoring nine points in 22 minutes on Tuesday, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft recorded just two points on 1-4 shooting against the Spurs on Thursday. Sheppard also pulled down three rebounds and dished out two assists.

The rookie guards won't have to wait long until they match up in the regular season, as the first meeting between San Antonio and Houston is on Oct. 26.

It took just one year in the NBA for San Antonio Spurs star big man Victor Wembanyama to lose his admiration for some of the players who had previously inspired him.

While speaking to Sports Illustrated (1:12 mark), Wembanyama was asked about the most surprising thing from his rookie season in the NBA and he responded, "How, in a good way, some of them are really impressive and inspiring in the way they approach the game every night, but others that I used to like and now it's like, nah, I'm not sure that they deserve it. They don't seem like they put in as much work as I thought."

Wembanyama was unanimously selected as Rookie of the Year and quickly established himself as one of the best defensive players in the league last season, so it's understandable that he was surprised to see how others had different approaches to trying to achieve greatness.

As he enters his sophomore season, the 20-year-old is expected to take a leap forward as the face of the Spurs franchise. The arrival of veteran point guard Chris Paul is also likely to benefit him in a big way.

Wembanyama seems to be prepared to put his opponents on notice that they will need to step their game up when they go up against him because he's not impressed.

"Like I said, some of the guys I've been watching growing up, I'm not disappointed, but I'm like, 'Ugh, that's it?'" he added.

Bad news for the rest of the NBA: Victor Wembanyama is just getting started.

"I think my physical potential," Wembanyama said, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. "I don't know where it can lead me. I'm sure it's not complete at all. I want to work so that I have the chance one day to invent new things."

Don't put it past him to "invent new things" as he becomes more experienced in the NBA.

After all, how many times have there been a 7'4" big man who can shoot from well beyond the arc and make plays off the dribble like a guard? The San Antonio Spurs star does just that all while protecting the rim and controlling the boards as arguably the best defensive player in the league.

He wasted no time making an impact in 2023-24 as the Rookie of the Year who posted 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, a league-best 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from deep.

That was with no NBA experience, and now he is entering his second season in the league under one of the best coaches in the sport's history in Gregg Popovich. Anything but notable improvement would be a surprise, as Wembanyama's ceiling may not even exist at this point.

The next step will be getting the Spurs to the playoffs, and that will surely come if he lives up to his potential and, well, invents new things at the NBA level.

Victor Wembanyama says he would like to dunk on defending Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert during his second season with the Houston Spurs.

"I would say the best defenders would be the biggest challenges, so of course Rudy, my guy Rudy Gobert," Wembanyama when asked about who he would most like to dunk on by CBS Sports' Ashley Nicole Moss (6:45 mark of the video below.) "I think Kawhi [Leonard] would be... because all these guys, I just respect them so much in the defensive end that it would be incredible to dunk on them."

Wembanyama continued: "I would say the third one would be Jonathan Isaac. He's, I think, a really, really underrated defender."

When asked what former NBA players he would most like to try the move against, Wembanyama named Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain.

It makes sense that Wembanyama would want to beat Gobert at the post after the Minnesota Timberwolves star dunked on the rookie during a Spurs loss on Feb. 27.

Gobert and Wembanyama most recently connected as teammates while serving as the anchor of Team France's defense on their way to a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Leonard, who was unable to play for the gold-medal-winning Team USA due to issues with his surgically-repaired knee, says he expects to be ready for the Los Angeles Clippers' season opener, while Jonathan Issac will be back with the Orlando Magic after renegotiating and extending his contract in July.

That means all three should be available to take on Wembanyama this season, starting with the Spurs' back-to-back matchups against the Timberwolves on Nov. 2 and at the Clippers on Nov. 4.

Wembanyama will look to follow up his Rookie of the Year season with more highlight-reel dunks as he combines with veteran point guard Chris Paul in the hopes of leading the Spurs back into the playoffs, starting with Oct. 24's regular season opener on the road against Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks.