Spurs, Victor Wembanyama Ready to 'Handle Expectations'
Now that Victor Wembanyama is in town, the San Antonio Spurs are going to need to readjust to high expectations.
The idea of it isn't something that the team nor its fans have been accustomed to, especially given the way things have gone on the court in the last several seasons. Ever since Tim Duncan's retirement, a solid core of players has seemingly been hard to come by for San Antonio, as players either left, were traded or simply didn't pan out.
It isn't surprising that a string of lackluster seasons might have diminished hope for the Spurs in a loaded Western Conference, but Wembanyama is set to change that during his time in the Lone Star State.
In fact, he might even change Gregg Popovich's mindset.
"Nobody here should go to Vegas with the thought of betting on us to win [a] championship," Popovich said prior to last season, when the Spurs were once again not expected to perform well.
Fast forward to now, and the Spurs did meet those expectations — falling into the bottom three teams of the league record-wise and securing the No. 1 overall pick via the NBA Lottery — which meant extending the decades-old Spurs legacy of dominant centers.
David Robinson was first, then Tim Duncan. Now, it's Wembanyama's turn, and Popovich is more than ready to get started with the young center.
"I’m very excited [to coach Wembanyama]," Popovich said on draft night. "[Victor and I] don't have a personal relationship yet, but from what I've seen, I don't think he's going to need a lot from me as far as handling expectations."
The 27th-year coach cited Wembanyama's parents for the work they did raising the center well, despite the added pressure that came with his height and "one-of-a-kind" status, which does bode well for a partnership with a coach like the Spurs have.
It's no secret that Popovich is demanding, intimidating and even perceived as gruff to some — though the latter may be just the media — but to players, he's proven to be one of the most respected coaches to ever take an NBA sideline.
"Playing for coach Pop is just legendary," Spurs small forward Keldon Johnson said. "I know he wants the best in me. Obviously he sees something in me that I may not even see in myself. But I know that there's always something bigger."
Bringing out the best in his players is strong suit, though what could be bigger than 7-4 only Popovich could know.
The added pressure doesn't seem to phase Wembanyama, however, who's expressed his equal excitement to play under Popovich and for the Spurs next season.
Once the two get to know each other, Popovich and Wembanyama could make the NBA's all-time coach-player duos in just a few seasons. He'll just need to take what he can from the veteran coach as he develops throughout his young career, which will likely be much more than just the "not a lot" that Popovich expects.
There's that word again. Expects. Spurs and expectations seem to be synonymous now, but that's not changing anytime soon — at least not while Wembanyama is around.
That could be a good thing, though. They'll just need to back it up.
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