San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich defends rookie star and generation talent Victor Wembanyama, urging patience and time for the young player to reach his full potential.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich: “You know, people’s opinions… they don’t know, they don’t understand. When they see us drafting a guy like Victor, everybody knows he’s talented. It’s not just about talent.” #PorVida #NBA #Wembanyama pic.twitter.com/vaDhUTIiRg
— Dusty Garza (@Dgarza888) February 7, 2024
The coach compared Wemby with the basketball legends Michael Jordan and Nikola Jokic, highlighting the time it took for them to win their first championships.
The veteran coach Popovich shared in an interview with Yann Ohnona of L’Équipe speaking on the Spurs team’s long-term strategy,
“You know, people’s opinions. They don’t know, they don’t understand. When they see us draft someone like Victor, everyone knows he’s talented. It is not just about talent. Michael Jordan’s first title to come into his seventh year. Nikola Jokic just won his first ring, and it took him eight years.We have every right to hope that things will go faster for Victor, but you can’t skip stages.”
Addressing the criticism of the team strategy, Popovich dismisses concerns from those expecting immediate top-tier performance from San Antonio,
“It takes time to build a team. If it were that easy, you’d have a different champion every year. For the last twenty years, we’ve had the same organizations. Our cycle of success has been long, stretching over three decades. At some point, you have to start from scratch. This is where we are today.”
After facing another losing season, the Spurs are one of the worst in the Western Conference, with 10 wins and 40 losses. Only the Washington Wizards (9-40) and the Detroit Pistons (6-43) have worse records than the Spurs.
After Spurs coach Popovich signs a five-year contract extension in 2023 will continue with his strategy for a few more years.
The French big man Wemby who arrived as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft in San Antonio seems to be part of his strategy and said it will take time to understand his abilities on the court.
Wembanyama played in 44 of the Spurs’ first 50 games, averaging 20.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 3.1 blocks per game, and the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year.
