There are four teams in the NBA still playing for a chance to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but the San Antonio Spurs have to feel like the biggest winners in the league this week. That is because they won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, which allows them to select Victor Wembanyama in a few weeks.
“Just an incredible day,” general manager Brian Wright said. “For the franchise. For the fans. For the entire organization. We’re incredibly excited about the future.”
The Spurs made the tough decision to start a full teardown of their roster last offseason, trading All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for a package focused on draft picks. With an eye toward the future, San Antonio played young guys night in and night out and will now be adding one of the best-rated prospects ever to the mix.
“It’s going to be unbelievable,” Spurs owner Peter J. Holt said at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center. “Our future was already bright. Now it’s going to be through the moon.”
NBA NEWS & DRAFT RUMORS: Victor Wembanyama & San Antonio Spurs Updates
Holt is certainly correct when speaking about the future of the franchise. The Spurs own 32 draft picks through the 2029 NBA Draft and ended the season with one rotation player over the age of 28 years old.
Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Blake Wesley, Malaki Branham, Jeremy Sochan and Tre Jones are some of the young building blocks the team already has in place. Wembanyama will be added to that, elevating the entire group with his presence alone.
“People talk about generational talent, and they only think on-court skill, but it’s bigger than that,” Wright said Tuesday night. “His ability to be a great teammate, his ability to think the game, unique challenges, you see him doing things that you wouldn’t even have guessed someone could do. His approach, his professionalism.
“When you use the word generational talent, it extends beyond your ability to put the ball in the basket. And he’s unique in so many ways.”
NBA NEWS & DRAFT RUMORS: Victor Wembanyama & San Antonio Spurs Updates
There hasn’t been a prospect with this much hype surrounding them since LeBron James entered the 2003 NBA Draft out of high school. Wembanyama looks like what someone would make in create-a-player mode in NBA 2K given his size, length and skill set.
The kind of luck that the Spurs have had when it comes to draft lotteries is unprecedented. The current four-year playoff drought the team is on is the longest in franchise history. They had missed the postseason only three times previously in their existence in the NBA. Two of those times they came away with David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
“I’m a believer that good things happen to great people,” Holt said. “We’re surrounded by amazing people that try to be of service and help others and build things that are great. So you’re going to attract some amazing things. That’s what happened tonight.”
NBA NEWS & DRAFT RUMORS: Victor Wembenyama & San Antonio Spurs Updates
It shouldn’t be long until the Spurs are back in the playoff hunt and competing. If Wembanyama gets close to realizing the potential that he possesses, along with the team cashing in on some of the assets they own, San Antonio will be back on top of the basketball world before we know it.
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