Inside The Spurs

Spurs Starter, May 23, 2024: Victor Wembanyama Earns 7 All-NBA Votes

Your daily briefing on what's going on with the San Antonio Spurs, including news, draft & more.

Matt Guzman

Feb 12, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (right) reacts as he comes out for player introductions before a game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena.
Feb 12, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (right) reacts as he comes out for player introductions before a game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. / John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Happy Thursday, Por Vida fans! Welcome to your morning Spurs Starter.

The NBA's annual end-of-season awards have been announced in phases over the last few weeks, the latest of them being all three of the All-NBA teams. Those are as follows:

2023-24 KIA All-NBA First Team

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)
  • Nikola Jokic (DEN)
  • Luka Doncic (DAL)
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL)
  • Jayson Tatum (BOS)

2023-24 KIA All-NBA Second Team

  • Jalen Brunson (NYK)
  • Anthony Edwards (MIN)
  • Kevin Durant (PHX)
  • Kawhi Leonard (LAC)
  • Anthony Davis (LAL)

2023-24 KIA All-NBA Third Team

  • LeBron James (LAL)
  • Stephen Curry (GSW)
  • Damontas Sabonis (SAC)
  • Tyrese Haliburton (IND)
  • Devin Booker (PHX)

The San Antonio Spurs didn't have any representation in the top three squads, but Victor Wembanyama did earn some votes. He tallied 11 total points — even with New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson and one behind fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert — with two second-team votes and five third-team votes.

He might not have made the cut this season, but him being included on the final ballot as a rookie says enough about his potential. San Antonio certainly lucked out with its rookie.

That being said, here are some headlines:

THE NEWS

1. READ: DEVONTE' GRAHAM STRUGGLES TO FIND FOOTING

Spurs guard Devonte' Graham faced a drastic decrease in usage and production in his second year, which kept him from truly finding a rhythm.

Read the full story above.

2. LOOK: VICTOR WEMBANYAMA SPOTTED LOOKING FOR ROOKIE TRADING CARD

While many young fans and collectors alike will covet a Victor Wembanyama rookie card in their collection, apparently the list of interested parties doesn't stop there. The 7-foot-4 rookie himself was spotted at a local card shop looking for a copy of it himself.

Check out the story above, via SA Current.

3. READ: WEMBANYAMA'S ALL-NBA VOTES MEAN MORE THAN YOU THINK

San Antonio Spurs standout Victor Wembanyama didn't quite do enough to earn an All-NBA selection this season, but his seven votes certainly serve as optimistic indicators of what he has left to bring to his team and to the league.

Read the full breakdown and analysis above.

THE DRAFT

The 2024 NBA Draft is 34 days away, and set to take place over the course of two days — a new format — from Wednesday, June 26 to Thursday, June 27.

According to The Ringer's big board, San Antonio is projected to select Kentucky's Rob Dillingham with the No. 4 overall pick to headline its 2024 draft class and Colorado's Cody Williams with No. 8 overall pick, should it elect to keep both.

The Spurs aren't locked into their decision as of now, so a deal could still come to fruition, but only time will tell how the team decides to use their two top-10 picks.

THE PLAYOFFS

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and company might not be suiting up this postseason, but here are how the rest of the NBA Playoffs are shaking out so far:

West: #3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. #5 Dallas Mavericks

After Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves completed their upset of the defending champions, they headed back home to face All-NBA First-Teamer Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams' first matchup was back-and-forth all-night long, but ultimately it was Dallas — behind Doncic and Kyrie Irving's combined 63 points — who pulled out a 108-105 victory in Game 1.

DAL leads 1-0. Game 2 scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST Friday.

East: #1 Boston Celtics vs. #6 Indiana Pacers

To this point, the Boston Celtics haven't so much as struggled against their opponents. Handling both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat 4-1 each was a testament to that, but Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals proved different. Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers put together a strong showing to give the Celtics a run for their money as they had a 3-point lead with the clock winding down.

Jaylen Brown saw that and took over late, hitting an unlikely shot from the corner to settle the score and eventually lead his team past Indiana in overtime, as it took a 133-128 victory.

May 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reacts after the game against the Indiana Pacers for game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden.
May 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reacts after the game against the Indiana Pacers for game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports


BOS leads 1-0. Game 2 scheduled for 7 p.m. CST Thursday.

THE CLOSER

Make sure to check out our homepage for more news, and follow us on the platforms below. Thank you for tuning in and enjoy the rest of your Thursday.

Published
Matt Guzman

MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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