As the highly anticipated NBA regular season approaches, Victor Wembanyama addressed the press at the San Antonio Spurs‘ media day. When asked about his goals, given his impressive rookie campaign and the lofty expectations from analysts, the French star was blunt: “I don’t have any actual responsibility to any of you (the media). Just the guys in the locker room and the training room with me, that’s it.”
Wembanyama was one of the most outstanding players during the last NBA season, earning Rookie of the Year honors and finishing second behind Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.
When questioned about predictions from experts that this year he could become the league’s best player, “Wemby” remained grounded: “I know eventually I’m going to be in those conversations. As always, my emphasis is going to be on winning and helping my teammates, making my teammates better”.
Spurs’ expectations for the new season
Despite Wembanyama’s stellar individual performance, the Spurs struggled last season, finishing with a disappointing 22-60 record—second-to-last in the Western Conference—and failing to qualify for the playoffs.
The French center understands that those results won’t cut it this time around and that the team will have to raise the bar in this new season if they want to live up to the demands of the fans: “Last year, our expectation for ourselves was to learn…. I think, towards the end of this year, we expect to win.”
Upcoming challenges
Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will kick off their preseason on Monday, October 7, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by games against the Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, Miami Heat, and Houston Rockets. The team will open the NBA regular season on October 24 with a marquee matchup on the road against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.