'Wemby's Different!' Spurs’ Zach Collins Talks Victor Wembanyama, State of NBA Big Men

San Antonio Spurs center Zach Collins discussed the state of big men in the NBA and Victor Wembanyama's meteoric rise in an interview with Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson.

Nov 27, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Zach Collins (23) dunks in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

As the 2024-25 NBA season nears its midpoint, the San Antonio Spurs are certainly in a far better position than they were last season. 

Their 19-19 record may be exactly average, but it’s a major step forward for the Silver & Black; it won just 22 games total in 2023-24. Victor Wembanyama’s star has continued to brighten, and a pair of veteran offseason additions in Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes have helped bring a young core along nicely. 

READ MORE: Is Chris Paul Hard to Deal With? Spurs Weigh In

In a conversation with NBA Insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Spurs center Zach Collins spoke on the impact of the new veteran leadership. 

“When you add guys like CP and Harrison Barnes who have playoff pedigree and championship pedigree, it’s like we feel their DNA on this team now,” Collins said. “We have a certain level of confidence that I don’t think we had last year.” 

Dec 25, 2024; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Zach Collins (23) warms up prior to the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Paul and Barnes have filled up the stat sheet in certain regards — Paul is averaging almost nine assists per game, while Barnes is shooting nearly 41 percent from beyond the arc. But arguably the greatest contributions from the two can’t be measured by numbers, especially from Paul, the third-oldest active player in the NBA.

“We’re a young team, and in this generation of basketball, the perception now is that we don’t talk as much as we should," Collins said. "C.P. brings that constant voice offensively (and) defensively, and we just know where we need to be on the court more. We’re more locked in (during) those moments ... we’re more comfortable.

"We’re more calm, and we know we can handle it with guys like that.”

Collins also spoke on Wembanyama, who’s averaging 25.1 points, 10.7 rebounds and a league-leading 3.9 blocks per game. He’s recorded at least one block in every single game; not only that, Wembanyama has as many games with at least five blocks as he does with two or fewer (8).

He’s also shooting 35 percent from 3-point range on over six attempts per game with a nearly 87 percent clip from the free throw line. 

“We haven’t seen anything like Victor,” said Collins. “I mean, you could say Kevin Durant. You could say Giannis (Antetokounmpo) because he can do so many different things. Wemby is different, but he reminds me of those guys, and they can do things that no one else can do, and that’s what Victor does.” 

READ MORE: Spurs Not Taking Wembanyama's Confidence 'For Granted'

Collins also expressed his belief that centers, like himself and Wembanyama, are going to return to the old days of when they dominated on the interior.

While players like Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns are elite in large part because of their ability to stretch defenses, Collins believes that the need for a big man to mostly produce closer to the basket.  

“Centers are asked to do a lot of things right now on the perimeter, and I think the NBA goes up-and-down with the ebbs and flows with the types of plays that happen,” Collins said. “It’s been very inside-oriented, to now, it’s outside, and I think it will be going back. I think guys are going to be more dominant inside, and I think that’s what teams are gonna look for.”

As the Spurs try and close out the first half of the season before the All-Star break (including a six-game road trip), San Antonio has a great shot to eclipse its win total from the 2023-24 campaign. The improved results have been the effect of many different causes, but one took place before the Spurs even played a regular season game. 

“It was very structured,” Collins said of the Spurs’ offseason. “Very teaching-oriented; a lot of drills, lots of teaching defensively. Working on consistently being good on that end of the ball, so we locked in on that a lot this summer. On top of that, we were all in the gym all summer.

"San Antonio was a hot spot for us this summer, so it was good.” 

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