This Thursday night, the San Antonio Spurs will tip off their 2024-25 NBA campaign against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Under Gregg Popovich‘s leadership, the team, now centered around Wembanyama, aims to make strides in the Eastern Conference. According to a former NBA champion, big things are expected from the young star.
In an interview with FanDuel, Kenny Smith shared his belief that Wembanyama is ready to take a major step forward in his career.“I don’t know if you would consider it a breakout, but Victor Wembanyama goes from an All-Star to an MVP candidate this year,” the Inside the NBA host said.
Smith elaborated on the elements that could fuel Wembanyama’s development, particularly highlighting the importance of veteran leadership. “I think the addition of Chris Paul is going to be underrated of the leadership part of it, of teaching him how to be a leader and maybe putting some of those younger guys in a better understanding of what’s expected of them.” Smith explained.
The two-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets further emphasized, “The leadership role that Chris Paul will bring even in limited minutes that he might play in certain games — I think it’s going to be underrated and going to help Wembanyama be an MVP candidate.”
Paul’s praise for Wembanyama
Chris Paul, when asked about his early impressions of Wembanyama, had high praise for the young star. “He works extremely hard,” Paul said after joining the Spurs’ practice sessions. “His ability to shoot, pass, dribble, do everything, his defense … it’s taken some getting used to. We’re a work in progress.”
Wembanyama’s ambitions
Victor Wembanyama exceeded expectations in his rookie year, not only claiming the Rookie of the Year award but also earning a spot on the All-Defensive First Team. As he heads into his second NBA season, Wembanyama remains focused on collective success.
“A successful year would be a year where we don’t lose time doing the mistakes we did last year and we apply our improvements right away,” Wembanyama explained. Confident in the Spurs‘ progress, he added, “I think it’s going well because when I watch everybody — and I watched everybody during the summer — everybody was putting in some super hard work. And it just seems like it’s going to pay off.”