Spurs' Victor Wembanyama All-In On Coach Pop: 'I Could Follow Him With My Eyes Closed'
LAS VEGAS — The first step to acclimating any rookie to their respective NBA team is to familiarize them with their new coach.
Literally speaking, that's not hard to do — unless the team doesn't have one — as introductions come easy. What comes after, though, is where issues can arise. Whether it's "creative differences" or just a system that's hard to buy into, a player-coach relationship can change the dynamic of a whole team.
Luckily for the San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich doesn't check either of those boxes for 7-4 forward Victor Wembanyama. He also needs no introduction, but he got one anyways when the team welcomed the 19-year-old to San Antonio.
"[Popovich] cares a lot about me," Wembanyama said of his new coach. "He talks to me every day, and to me, this is just a special chance and experience. He's has been so successful in his life ... he knows how to do it."
Coaching in the NBA for 27 years would give you that kind of a reputation, but it isn't just the sheer length of time that Popovich has been with San Antonio that's earned him the respect of just about every coach in the league. It's also how well he's done.
"I just know what he’s meant to the game," Pistons coach Monty Williams said of the Hall-of-Famer. "I know what he’s meant to so many coaches and their families, not just in the NBA, but around the world, because he’s had such a huge impact on so many people.”
That impact saw five different Spurs teams win a title. It saw numerous players reach the Hall-of-Fame themselves, and it saw an entire city's hopes revived. Now, with a new five-year contract, that same impact can begin to reach Wembanyama, as tall as he is.
"It's really special," Wembanyama said of playing under Gregg Popovich. "I feel like he thinks this is going to be a special time, too. I could follow him with my eyes closed."
High praise from the No. 1 pick, isn't it? That isn't anything new, however. The relationship between Wembanyama and Popovich seemed to be one of those "long-time coming" moments in San Antonio. But the good news is that it's finally here.
Wembanyama won't have to literally close his eyes to follow Popovich, but he will have to have faith in the long-time veteran throughout the season and his young career.
The good news for San Antonio? The rookie does have faith ... and a lot of it.
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