When the San Antonio Spurs won the lottery in the 2023 NBA draft they were deemed one of the luckiest teams of recent history.
They were able to get their hands on a once in a lifetime prospect: a 7 foot 3, 209-pound centre with guard-like skills who can stretch the floor and finish over practically anyone.
Oh, and he is also one of the best defensive prospects in the history of basketball. Victor Wembanyama was everything and more NBA teams were looking for.
Now almost two years into his career he has perfectly lived up to his expectations. Averaging 22.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists he has been the exact player the Spurs have been searching for since their greatest player ever Tim Duncan left in 2016.
The problem most certainly isn’t Wemby, but rather what to do around him.
There are multiple directions that the Spurs can take to be successful, with no options being a guaranteed success or failure.
Option 1 – We need time
With Wemby only recently turning 21 they have so much time to build around their superstar, but is that the right path?
With Wemby already being so good the Spurs have a winning record not allowing them to tank and receive another high pick. In this method they would stockpile picks, develop their young talent such as Jeremy Sohan and Stephon Castle and trade veterans with value for more picks and young players.
This method has worked for some teams but isn’t always a guarantee.
The Philadelphia 76ers tried this method for many years, drafting high and trying to stockpile organic talent that they drafted to form a super team of homegrown players. The problem with this is that there is no guarantee when drafting any players that they will reach their full potential.
While they did draft superstar Joel Embiid and promising talent Ben Simmons they also drafted lesser lights Markelle Fultz and Jahlil Okafor with high picks.
Since the ‘trust the process’ Sixers began this era, they haven’t reached the finals once and would most likely be regretting not building a title contender around superstar Embiid.
Option 2 – We need to win NOW!
This option is where the Spurs trade young players and draft picks with value now for established stars so that they can instantly contend for the title.
Wemby is a good enough player where any team he is on will be strong no matter who is on there. If they add additional developed and experienced firepower their is no limit to what they could be.
Many players have been rumoured to the Spurs who could instantly make them better but would cost an arm and a leg to get. Take De’Aaron Fox, who is a young star from the Sacramento Kings. While he would be a great addition to the team he would cost a couple young players plus a haul of draft picks which could hurt the team in the future.
The Phoenix Suns recently tried this method with their young superstar Devin Booker.
They used all their future assets and prospects to trade for NBA legend Kevin Durant in 2023. Now a couple of seasons later they are sitting 12th in the West. This idea backfired as they were unable to win a championship with KD and now loom as one of the worst franchises due to their lack of control over their future assets.
(Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
Option 3 – Nothing?
The Spurs can sit back and do nothing. Nothing at all.
They can let the rest of their season play out, keep developing their young talent, let their older veterans guide the way and have a mediocre season where they both aren’t winning a lot but not losing either. While many people believe this to be a waste of Wemby’s potential they could easily improve so much next year that they become a title contender naturally without a big change either way.
Whichever way the Spurs decide they have a massive decision ahead of them around their franchise player.