3 Things Blazers Can Learn From Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs' playoff journey started with a five-game series against the Portland Trail Blazers and it will end with a trip to the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks.

The Blazers will be watching the Finals from home for the 34th consecutive year after their loss to the Spurs, but there's a lot they can learn from such a young team making it to the biggest stage in basketball at this point in their rebuild.

Here's a look at three lessons the Blazers can learn from the Finals-bound Spurs:

Luck Pays Off

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama celebrates after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Spurs are a talented team, but they would be nowhere without landing the lucky ping-pong balls that helped them land Victor Wembanyama. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is a generational talent and the Spurs have been fortunate to get him healthy for a full playoff run and get the right people around him to build a roster.

The Blazers came up short in that draft lottery at No. 3 to take Scoot Henderson. While he has not lived up to the same hype as Wemby, he still has a chance to be a valuable part of the Blazers moving forward.

The Blazers have gotten lucky at points during their rebuild, like with the Deni Avdija trade, but they still need to get lucky once or twice more to be a true contender. The way to get to that point is to continue taking shots at bringing talented people into the organization.

Eye on the Prize

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander controls the ball against San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Spurs built a roster and put the right players in place to challenge the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. It took seven games to come out on top, but the Spurs were able to crack the code.

The Blazers are now in position to challenge the Spurs. They have to figure out how to contain Wemby as much as possible and they got a chance to look at them in the playoffs this year. They know exactly how their roster matches up in a series against the team to beat, so they should make those adjustments to meet their mark.

Having a 7-footer like Clingan helps, but it's clear from what they showed in the playoffs that things aren't where they need to be quite yet.

Culture Means Everything

San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie and teammates celebrate. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Spurs have built their legacy on their culture, which has lasted nearly three decades in an ever-evolving NBA. Gregg Popovich's foundation created one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history and the team stood by him even when the Spurs' time ran out. They turned to Mitch Johnson, a longtime assistant with the franchise, and he took them to the NBA Finals in his first full season on the job.

The Blazers have a piece of the Spurs culture already in their grasp with Tiago Splitter acting as the head coach throughout the season. Splitter played with the Spurs from 2010-15 and got a taste of the Spurs' success.

The Blazers are still trying to figure out whether Splitter is their coach of the future or if they want to give the reins to someone else. Regardless of who they turn to for the future, that person needs to establish a proper culture that can win a championship someday. Without that, it doesn't matter how lucky or determined they are.

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