After years of being one of the worst teams in the NBA in the post-Tim Duncan era, the San Antonio Spurs are relevant once again, with Gregg Popovich and company able to get their hands on French superstar Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
With Wembanyama being the most hyped rookie in the league since LeBron James came out of high school in 2003, the Spurs have seen a massive boost in interest from the fans, with Popovich getting some questions he’s not used to answering.
During Media Day for the Spurs, Popovich was asked which players on his squad would be in the starting lineup to start the 2023-24 NBA season, which got quite the reaction from the legendary head coach.
According to Jacob Douglas of Pounding the Rock, Popovich claimed that if former Spurs star and Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili can come off the bench, anyone can, via Legion Hoops.
Gregg Popovich on the Spurs starting lineup:
“If Manu Ginóbili can come off the bench, anybody can and I don’t wanna hear it.”
(via @poundingtherock, https://t.co/JPwbrJEfQK) pic.twitter.com/4vQ2IP3FQP
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 3, 2023
Although some anticipate Wembanyama being one of the best players in the league in the near future, the Spurs don’t have high expectations heading into the upcoming season, and understandably so, with such a young and unproven squad.
Along with Wembanyama, the Spurs have Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Jeremy Sochan leading the way, which likely isn’t a playoff team in the highly competition Western Conference.
However, Popovich definitely has some nice pieces to work with moving forward, and as a result, it might be only a matter of time before San Antonio is making some noise once again in the West.
NEXT: Gregg Popovich Breaks Down Victor Wembanyama's Fit With Spurs
