How much can Victor Wembanyama carry the Spurs? | The Athletic NBA Show

How much can Victor Wembanyama carry the Spurs? | The Athletic NBA Show

This season currently is the last losing season of wem’s career they are going to be an above 500 team last year this this lanky [ __ ] pulled out a sham God and this big sweeping layup over Rudy gobear that’s your Defensive Player of the Year

Everyone say oh my and he did it like it was nothing he did it like he’s messing around against his little brother in the driveway this guy’s so good and it is insane to me absolutely insane that you two jerks are like I don’t know Rookie

Of the Year seems kind of up in the air you’ve got to be [ __ ] me you have to like he is by far the best Rie we’ve seen he’s mounting a charge he’s mounting a charge mounting a charge you see what he does this every damn game he

Does something ridiculous and it’s not just oh he’s got a couple of highlights he’s killing right now I personally preferred thanos’s Kyle Watson move that was a better highlight that was simply a foul or they call what they call a travel they call it a travel it was a

It’s not a TR it’s a carry it’s not a travel it was a carry but it was not a travel any other player on the Bucks does that and it’s not called I think the ref was profiling than asses there was like there’s my absolute favorite

Part of that is the Bucks were up by how much they’re almost 30 right it I mean thanasis is in the game jannis is Giannis is up out of his seat livid arguing with the ref over this call how dare you call a travel on my brother they’re up 30 yeah remember when

Patrick momes after like Travis Kel’s like lateral and touchdown was like you’re ruining his legacy right now by taking that away refs Giannis is on the sideline you are killing my brother’s Legacy right now that was such a weird thing to argue about theight it was it

Was so funny like that’s a good brother right there but I love that he’s a little brother too and that just adds another layer of fun that Y is the little brother back back to wemy being a God uh this is like I don’t understand what anyone else is watching and Chad’s

Been unbelievable don’t get me wrong chat’s been unbelievable this guy it like he he’s by far the best player in this class it’s not even close and he was supposed to be so that that shouldn’t be a shock but I just like I don’t know what you guys are watching and maybe

That’s what it is is there was already just so much hype and there’s so much expectation if you’re like the bar was living up to or exactly that could be because yeah like the year when like when I was at OKC and Russ was averaging

A triple double like if he didn’t get a triple double people were like Russ was off tonight right like 369 and N like oh man what is the bar here at what wait hold on let me ask you this question at what point did you guys

Realize and I want a real answer here okay I don’t want to be like oh yeah it was around February we thought he might be able to average triple like at what point were you guys like oh [ __ ] he’s gonna do this it was pretty late it was

Pretty late because it late oober when they saw him Ste rebounds from Stephen no like well that was a whole different thing steo was generous uh do you think all right hold on I mean these are unfair questions it’s why you’re on the Pod Josh uh do you think was a

Conversation that Stephen had with Russ Stephen had with maybe the coaching staff the front office or Stephen was just like you know what I’m just gonna be a good teammate it was on his own that one that last one yeah that last one you’re just like ah because he he

Doesn’t Stephen didn’t care he he he wanted to help Russ out and he doesn’t care about himself in that way where he’s like I gotta get mine that’s just he was not concerned about that so he was he’ll tip it up tip it up there were

Plenty he could just grab the ball with two hands and he would just tip it backwards and you know the you know the Thunder scorekeeper is not going to be like oh that’s a controlled tip got to give that one to Stephen like that’s not gonna absolutely not okay what was what

Was your what was your [ __ ] answer about pretty late in the season you guys realize what were you GNA say well dude like you have to understand like I’m sitting there going there’s no way there’s no way because well it hadn’t been done in almost what 50 years 50

Yeah basically so it was almost one of those like unbreakable Wilt scoring 100 you know what I mean like Cal Ripken Jr games play one of those unbreakable records that you’re like a it’s just gonna last forever and then you’re like maybe because in my mind I was always

Like there’s no I do love the idea of Josh hating from the sidelines just like this he’s not gonna do it no CH that’s my rebound I was going to get every rebound I was fighting for my money I was like me I like the idea of like missing shots on

Purpose I like the idea of Josh Josh grabs a rebound next to Russ And Russ is like what the [ __ ] and you’re like I need this you try to get paid here you’ve got your money I need this um all right so that’s gonna that’s going to close the Hot take safe Zone

You cannot attack any of those hot takes all right the the Pistons will not finish last the caves are as dangerous as anyone in the east in the postseason other than Boston and this is the last year of wem’s career that he has a losing season him vers chat was so

Amazing that was so fun that was amazing that was so fun I mean it sucks that it wasn’t a better game because it was the Spurs um because I think you would have seen that the entire fourth quarter right and I love that they’re both so competitive that it mattered to them

That they were in that matchup it matter they’re not stupid they they know what that well when was the last time we had this like rookie competition right you had like the magic bird thing obviously and it’s kind of like position position right like like you know Melo LeBron um yeah

Melo LeBron that’s a good one for a little bit Wiggins Parker right like like yeah like they tried to make thing and Jabari just but Jabari was just hurt like he couldn’t like fulfill that role right and this is different because these guys are both playing at such a

High level right yeah both these guys already far beyond what’s it’s not a competition like Wiggins versus Ja like these guys are both like very freaking good already clearly on an insane trajectory there was a little bit of like cat Oker you know their their rookie Seasons um but even that like it

Didn’t I don’t know it didn’t feel like this maybe at the moment but it didn’t feel like this I can’t think of another one that is the same level yeah I mean I guess the in terms of same level the last time we was like Melo LeBron yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

The Athletic NBA Show discuss Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.