Victor Wembanyama is already allowing the Spurs to reap plenty of rewards despite their terrible win-loss record this season.
The San Antonio Spurs were arguably the biggest winner of the 2023 offseason when they became the team that won the lottery, effectively winning them the right to draft generational big man prospect Victor Wembanyama. Many saw Wembanyama as a game-changing talent, a transcendent defensive talent standing at 7’4 who also has the offensive skillset of a modern big man, making him the perfect fit in today’s NBA.
And while Wembanyama’s arrival hasn’t turned around the Spurs’ fortunes quite yet, the 20-year old French international has already made such a significant impact for his team in a short period of time. As pointed out by ClutchPoints Twitter (X), despite the Spurs’ current record of 11-44 that has them dead last in the Western Conference, Wembanyama’s arrival has generated a 54 percent increase in viewership of San Antonio’s games.
The Victor Wembanyama effect is real; plenty are tuning in simply to marvel at his budding greatness, while others are looking to see for themselves whether the hype surrounding the Spurs rookie is justified. And for the most part, it has been; Wembanyama’s development, particularly on the defensive end, has been so rapid that he may be an All-NBA player by his sophomore season, and he has also made plenty of strides in being a more efficient scorer.
Rarely does a player of Wembanyama’s physical stature move like he does; he is exceptionally mobile, and his offensive arsenal is deep. The Spurs rookie is one of those rare players who is more efficient in shooting off the dribble than off the catch, and to see him flaunt his guard-like skills on a nightly basis makes him one of the most entertaining players to watch in a league full of showmen.
Now, the next step for the Spurs to capitalize on Victor Wembanyama’s nascent career path is to surround him with a top-tier point guard (say, a Trae Young) as well as better secondary playmakers on the wing. The Spurs have time, however. Wembanyama, after all, is only 20 years of age, and he is only getting better; expect viewership to continue to rise for the Spurs in the coming years as the talented youngster approaches the prime years of his career.
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