Peter J. Holt let out an excited “let’s go!” on Tuesday night. Holt, the Spurs’ owner, had just witnessed NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum announce that the #1 overall pick in the 2023 draft belongs to San Antonio, meaning that they will land the generational prospect that is Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs already have a solid infrastructure for their new franchise player in Wembaynama to step into. This isn’t a team where Wembanyama will just have nothing around him. They have playmakers, shot creators, and defenders; despite finishing with a 22-60 record, they have legitimate NBA players.
The Spurs’ leader in minutes and points per game this past season was Keldon Johnson. His 22.0 points per game in the box score likely overstates his abilities, sadly. He is quite good as a driver and attacking closeouts, using his 6’5”, 220 pound frame to get downhill. With that said, Spurs fans certainly wish he was a better finisher and playmaker, as he only shoots 62% at the rim and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.4. This is not ideal.
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However, perhaps the Spurs need more spacing to maximize Johnson. He wasn’t the most efficient player (55.1 TS%), but as a team, the Spurs shot 34.5% from three, the fifth worst mark in the league. The only truly respectable 3 point shooters who consistently saw minutes were Doug McDermott and Devin Vassell, who missed a large chunk of the season. Devonte’ Graham may fall under this category, too, but he only shot 36.7% on catch and shoot threes this season.
That’s just the main issue with the Spurs offense. The Spurs defense was the worst in the league with a 120.0 defensive rating. Simply put, this team lacks any defensive talent (unlike the offensive talent and potential that does exist and more on this soon…) outside of Jeremy Sochan -- who was incredibly good defensively for a rookie -- and Zach Collins. Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and the rest of this core really isn’t great defensively.
That’s why Wembanyama is going to be so important for this team. They need a true rim protector and a guy who can transform a defense. In terms of future outlook, Sochan and Wembanyama could be able to lead the Spurs to become one of the best defensive teams in the league. Of course, improvements for Johnson, Vasell, and others on this side of the floor will help this effort, but this defensive duo should be a lot of fun.
The name Devin Vassell has been present quite a bit so far in this column, and that’s because he may be Wembanyama’s true #2 of the future, not Johnson. A knee injury limited Vassell to 38 games through the last season, and he averaged 18.5 points and 3.6 assists per game on 55.0 TS% (38.7% from three). Vassell was a true mid-range killer this past season, shooting 7.0 pull-ups per game and 47% on long mid-ranges (14 feet to 3PT line). Only a handful of players matched Vassell’s frequency (23%) and accuracy of these long-midranges.
Vassell’s 43.2% on catch & shoot 3s clearly outpaces his 28.2% on pull-up 3s, but he has shown comfort on pull-up midranges, so there is a solid chance he becomes a pull-up from deeper range as well. In the Spurs movement heavy offense, Vassell can spot up, run off of handoffs, and run the pick and roll. He can be placed anywhere on an offense, and his offensive versatility makes him incredibly portable. Vassell and Wembanyama two-man game already sounds really fun.
**The last part of the current Spurs young “Big 3”, so to say, is Jeremy Sochan, who was just named to the All-Rookie Second Team. As mentioned before, Sochan was one of the best defenders in this rookie class and arguably the best non-center defensively, and it’s even more impressive since he was 19 for the entirety of his rookie season. **
As the season progressed, Sochan was given many more opportunities to grow his game. The Spurs let him grab and go off of defensive rebounds, come off of handoffs and screens as a ball-handler, shoot 3s despite his poor percentages, attack closeouts with confidence and even get elbow touches to create his own shot. It didn’t all go great, and he wasn’t the most efficient (50.9 TS%, 1.5 AST:TO), but he was given reps, which certainly positively impacted his growth.
Johnson, Vassell, Sochan, and Wembanyama are a quality ‘core four’ for the Spurs to build around, but they still have other players on the current roster. Tre Jones is a quality point guard and playmaker, and while he may not project as a starter long-term, he could very well be one of the best backup point guards in the league for years. Malaki Branham flashed good reps of his own mid-range shot creation. Doug McDermott and Zach Collins are two really solid veterans as well.
Victor Wembanyama made his intentions to win a ring ASAP clear on draft lottery night. Give the Spurs a few years, and it really feels like they could be approaching contender status.
Charlie Spungin , NBA Analyst