Victor Wembayama was created by French scientist in a lab pic.twitter.com/XVtSBLDolF

— $mokegawd urameshi 💨 (@smokegawd3000) October 19, 2023

Would have been a beautiful assist.

Guitarsoup said:

---

No one knows, not even them.

---

This is the key. In crunch time or without the reset that comes with a stoppage in play, we rarely have a true natural leader on the floor. That isn't to say none of them will be leaders, just that nobody has stepped into the role just yet. Such a young team and the bench behind them are all unknown to each other because there's been such turnover.

The more I see of Cedi the more I recall a lot of us really wanting him in that draft. He just seems like he was born to be a Spur. There were flashes when he was on the court when you could tell he was meshing well but the execution was just a touch off here or there. That's just reps, it'll come along.

A steady veteran presence is what this team really needs, a dude who will defer on stats and all that and he knows his biggest role is to make sure the team stays calm on the floor. Take over the game for a possession or two to get the team to reset. Back when the cast around Tim wasn't so great, 4 down was the call when the game needed to settle a bit. Sure it's also easy to give the ball to the GOAT and let him cook but any team needs a base play they can run when you just need to get tempo back in your favor and let that heat off. And you need a player who can make sure that play happens and don't just give in to run and gun playground if you're getting your ass handed to you playing like that.

But yeah all that's just if we wanna make a playoff push and take our chances. I think I like just watching them play and figure it out. It's like watching my kid figure stuff out on his own. I'm just pointing him in the right direction. I think the Spurs just need to sort out their internal hierarchy, and part of being a leader is knowing when to defer and when to take over. We all have a pretty good idea it's gonna be Wemby some day. Probably sooner than we all think. We just don't know who it's gonna be between now and then.

No one knows, not even them indeed.

I don't know how good this team will end up being this year, but for stretches you see what looks like a team that could be very good very soon.

As far as I can see, the only thing left to do is to find a dynamic point guard and a stretch 4/5 to pair with this Sochan, Vassel, Wemby group and that's a championship team with Johnson leading your bench crew.

AggieEP said:

---

I don't know how good this team will end up being this year, but for stretches you see what looks like a team that could be very good very soon.

As far as I can see, the only thing left to do is to find a dynamic point guard and a stretch 4/5 to pair with this Sochan, Vassel, Wemby group and that's a championship team with Johnson leading your bench crew.

---

I think our needs in order of importance are:

1. Starting level PG.
2. Center/Rim protection/rebounding player. Our rebounding is not going to be good and Collins has flashes, but he gets eaten alive at times and Bassey isn't there yet.
3. Upgraded D&3 big wing. Cissoko may grow into this, but a guy that can guard 2-4 and hit shots. Bigger Danny Green. I could see Sochan playing this role if he gets better on his catch and shoot threes.

I wouldn't be opposed to giving Bassey some extended looks with the starters if Collins keeps letting opposing Centers cook him like this. He would be a mess offensively but he brings a lot of what Zach lacks.

TheNotoriousP.I.P. said:

---

I wouldn't be opposed to giving Bassey some extended looks with the starters if Collins keeps letting opposing Centers cook him like this. He would be a mess offensively but he brings a lot of what Zach lacks.

---

We might be a lower level playoff team if everything goes right, so give Bassey 25mpg and see what he can do. I'm all for it. But still want a better Steven Adams type to bully people and grab boards

Doug only he 8 points but they were all big ones at a time in the game where the momentum was not on our side

Both Sengun and rookie, DLIII, have eaten his lunch. When watching him it kind of seems like an effort thing. If we want to get better on defense this season, we can't if he's playing like that as our last line of defense, even with the improvement of others and the addition to Vic.

I don't think it's a lack of effort as much as Collins lacks the length and vertical to be a very good rim defender. He does a solid job on when he gets switched into smaller guys on the perimeter because he can move his feet. Lively has a lot of bounce and Collins just can't match that and that's why ended up on several posters. Sengun is one of only a handful of guys who can really score with his back to the basket and Zach doesn't have enough length to bother him once Sengun got into his body.

Offensively I like his fit next to Wemby with his passing as low post scoring ability. I would take the green light off of his three point shooting though.

There's no point in trying to identified the needs of this team because they haven't even established roles yet. When they do they could be pretty good.

Ag Natural said:

---

There's no point in trying to identified the needs of this team because they haven't even established roles yet. When they do they could be pretty good.

---

I'm not so sure about that. I think we have a pretty good idea of what Keldon, Devin, and Tre are. We don't know what Wemby will peak as, but as long as he stays healthy, I think the consensus of his peak is somewhere between All-NBA and MVP. Osman is a good locker room, D(ish) and 3 guy with good size.

Sochan doesn't really have a defined role and right now is kind of a jack of all trades, master of none. Great energy, great work ethic, willing to do anything he can to help the team, but he just doesn't really excel at anything in particular.

Bassey, Cissoko, Branham, Wesley, Julian - all TBD. But for now, we aren't really counting on any of them being a key player. We have some high hopes and have seen flashes of what they might be able to do on a consistent basis with some development.

But no matter what we have out of the current players, we know Tre Jones is never going to be a top-level starting PG and Wemby and the rest of the team seems to play better when he is in there offensively. We are scoring 1.52 points per possession with Tre Jones on the floor.

We've seen what Sengun and Lively did. We need more help in the paint. Collins/Bassey probably isn't the long term answer.

My hope is we can get Alexandre Sarr and Isaiah Collier, assuming we don't win the draft and get Buzelis to start along side Wemby and Devin.

As far as free agents next summer, Nic Claxton or Isaiah Hartenstein are available at post. At PG, Jrue, Fultz, and Conley will be available.

Guitarsoup said:

---

Ag Natural said:

---

There's no point in trying to identified the needs of this team because they haven't even established roles yet. When they do they could be pretty good.

---

I'm not so sure about that. I think we have a pretty good idea of what Keldon, Devin, and Tre are. We don't know what Wemby will peak as, but as long as he stays healthy, I think the consensus of his peak is somewhere between All-NBA and MVP. Osman is a good locker room, D(ish) and 3 guy with good size.

Sochan doesn't really have a defined role and right now is kind of a jack of all trades, master of none. Great energy, great work ethic, willing to do anything he can to help the team, but he just doesn't really excel at anything in particular.

Bassey, Cissoko, Branham, Wesley, Julian - all TBD. But for now, we aren't really counting on any of them being a key player. We have some high hopes and have seen flashes of what they might be able to do on a consistent basis with some development.

But no matter what we have out of the current players, we know Tre Jones is never going to be a top-level starting PG and Wemby and the rest of the team seems to play better when he is in there offensively. We are scoring 1.52 points per possession with Tre Jones on the floor.

We've seen what Sengun and Lively did. We need more help in the paint. Collins/Bassey probably isn't the long term answer.

My hope is we can get Alexandre Sarr and Isaiah Collier, assuming we don't win the draft and get Buzelis to start along side Wemby and Devin.

As far as free agents next summer, Nic Claxton or Isaiah Hartenstein are available at post. At PG, Jrue, Fultz, and Conley will be available.

---

I'm talking about this year. It makes no sense to be evaluating to this degree after 2 games. It normally takes about 20 for any team to form an identity.

After two games Vassell looks great. Jones looks really good, I'm not writing him off as a starting PG option. I like the experiment with Sochan at PG. He can be a really mismatch although he's definitely an inexperienced floor general. Collins is solid.

What I'm liking is the ball movement and body movement. After just two games they look like a very high assist team. If they can settle into a rhythm the turnovers will subside.

Ag Natural said:

---

Guitarsoup said:

---

Ag Natural said:

---

There's no point in trying to identified the needs of this team because they haven't even established roles yet. When they do they could be pretty good.

---

I'm not so sure about that. I think we have a pretty good idea of what Keldon, Devin, and Tre are. We don't know what Wemby will peak as, but as long as he stays healthy, I think the consensus of his peak is somewhere between All-NBA and MVP. Osman is a good locker room, D(ish) and 3 guy with good size.

Sochan doesn't really have a defined role and right now is kind of a jack of all trades, master of none. Great energy, great work ethic, willing to do anything he can to help the team, but he just doesn't really excel at anything in particular.

Bassey, Cissoko, Branham, Wesley, Julian - all TBD. But for now, we aren't really counting on any of them being a key player. We have some high hopes and have seen flashes of what they might be able to do on a consistent basis with some development.

But no matter what we have out of the current players, we know Tre Jones is never going to be a top-level starting PG and Wemby and the rest of the team seems to play better when he is in there offensively. We are scoring 1.52 points per possession with Tre Jones on the floor.

We've seen what Sengun and Lively did. We need more help in the paint. Collins/Bassey probably isn't the long term answer.

My hope is we can get Alexandre Sarr and Isaiah Collier, assuming we don't win the draft and get Buzelis to start along side Wemby and Devin.

As far as free agents next summer, Nic Claxton or Isaiah Hartenstein are available at post. At PG, Jrue, Fultz, and Conley will be available.

---

I'm talking about this year. It makes no sense to be evaluating to this degree after 2 games. It normally takes about 20 for any team to form an identity.

After two games Vassell looks great. Jones looks really good, I'm not writing him off as a starting PG option. I like the experiment with Sochan at PG. He can be a really mismatch although he's definitely an inexperienced floor general. Collins is solid.

What I'm liking is the ball movement and body movement. After just two games they look like a very high assist team. If they can settle into a rhythm the turnovers will subside.

---

I think the plan is for the entire year to be an evaluation year. Otherwise, we could have gotten into some of the trades that went around to get guys to help us now. Jrue would fit our team perfectly and the two picks Boston gave up were the 2024 Golden State Warriors 1st and a 2029 Boston 1st (with protections.)

I dont think Tre Jones will ever be a good to great starting PG. At 6'0 and 185 with 6'4 wingspan, he isn't big enough to not get bullied, especially in the time of bigger lead playmakers. He if could become a reliable 3pt shooter, maybe that would be enough to overcome some of his defensive liability. But he is not especially quick and is small.

I agree with liking Sochan at PG, but I don't know if we will see it as a long-term solution. I think it is great that it will develop skills that will help him more in the future with the type of basketball the Spurs want to play and especially because he is a guy that could line up at 1-5.

I agree about ball movement and body movement. I think with this group, that is key, just like the 2014 team. And like the 2014 team, we have a set of players where any one of 7 different guys could lead the team in assists on any given night. Getting that type of ball movement as part of their game now will pay huge dividends.

No matter how this team settles in, I don't think it is a 50+ win team.

https://theathletic.com/5006677/2023/10/28/victor-wembanyama-spurs-rockets/

Talking with an NBA Scout:

It seems like, during the early part of the second half at least, that Wembanyama is still trying to find his footing within San Antonio's offense. What are you seeing on that side of the ball?

Offensively, his skill is ahead of his physicality. And I think as his physicality over time catches up, you'll start to see him impacting the game defensively as well as rebounding wise. Those two things right now stand out: He still needs time to catch up, but offensively, I don't really worry. He can get any shot he wants. He has a certain fluidity and a feel that's just rare for his size.

He's also getting trapped. We've seen it a few times tonight where Houston just sends two at him and forces him to come off the ball. That's kind of unique for a rookie, right? In just his second-ever NBA game?
It's unique. But it's not out of question based off his skill set and the way he commands attention. You have to honor it, teams are doing that. It only maybe being his fifth, sixth game as a pro if you combine preseason games; you're seeing the attention he's drawing.


With six minutes remaining in the fourth, Wembanyama caught the ball on the right wing with Rockets second-year forward Jabari Smith Jr. defending him. In one of the smoothest moves you'll ever see from a young player, Wembanyama pump faked right, drove left and spun back to his right before finishing an emphatic dunk with the foul.

When you see plays like that, where does a scout's brain immediately go?
When he does plays like that, you see the potential and upside beyond where it should be. How close is he to doing that more consistently? Is it a year away, five years away, three years away? That's what you see.

7 turnovers and there's still over 3 minutes left in the first…

Fortunately we were able to hold the clips to 23 and get ourselves back into the game, but that was an ugly quarter of basketball.

15 first half turnovers. Eeesh.

The Sochan at PG experiment is off to a rough start.

LawHall88 said:

---

The Sochan at PG experiment is off to a rough start.

---

Jones hasn't been much better this game. Sloppy passes from pretty much everyone. Pair that with shooting 38% and we find ourselves in a 19 point hole.

If Collins can play worse than this, I don't want to see it.

Guitarsoup said:

---

Signs up for NBA League Pass



Game is on ESPN.

---

Finally a game on League Pass...

This game

The youngest team in the league playing the 2nd oldest has a predictable outcome. Our guys are sped up and super unselfish, leading to TOs. A team of vets like the Clips knows exactly how to crucify that mix.

When Wemby is on the court, the Spurs give up 1.058 points per possession.
When Wemby is off the court, the Spurs give up 1.275 points per possession.

So far, NBA league average is 1.099 points per possession. Spurs overall are 1.153 points per possession, for 24th in the league.

Pulling these numbers after that ultra ugly Clippers game isn't ideal, but I will check back in from time to time.

The Sixers are acquiring Marcus Morris, Nic Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, multiple draft picks and a pick swap for James Harden, PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/fSOkgO5xd3

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 31, 2023

The trade finally happening. Wonder if other teams like us get roped in after the fact

Clippers trying to go all in this year.

Lifted from the Spurs subreddit, shooting percentages against Wemby so far.

Guitarsoup said:

---

Lifted from the Spurs subreddit, shooting percentages against Wemby so far.

---

That is nuts. He's a game changer on that end for sure. When he's not on the floor, it's a problem.

Enzo The Baker said:

---

Guitarsoup said:

---

Lifted from the Spurs subreddit, shooting percentages against Wemby so far.

---

That is nuts. He's a game changer on that end for sure. When he's not on the floor, it's a problem.

---

Also, don't ask to see Zach's numbers. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

Wemby dressed as slenderman, career-high incoming 👀

(via @TrevorMBooth) pic.twitter.com/PF4re1zgug

— Spurs Culture (@SpursCulture) October 31, 2023

Can't buy one from deep tonight.