'They'll Be Fine!' Former Spur Praises Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle & Young Team's Future

Former San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay had plenty of positive things to say regarding the outlook of the Silver & Black in the near future.

Mar 22, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gay (22) signs autographs before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Although Rudy Gay is a couple of years removed from his time with the San Antonio Spurs, a lot has changed within the franchise since he signed with the Utah Jazz.

By the end of the 2020-21 season, the Spurs were still led by the duo of DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, although it'd be for the final time. They finished as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, and decided it'd be best to move on in a different direction.

Getting into his mid-30's, it also made the most logical sense for Gay to move on from San Antonio. Although, that hasn't stopped him from keeping up with the status of its current roster.

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On a recent episode of "Scoop B Radio" with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, Gay discussed the youth movement taking place on the Spurs, from Victor Wembanyama to Stephon Castle.

Overall, the veteran had high praise for the direction the team is going.

"Well, he's a once in a lifetime talent," Gay said regarding Wembanyama. "A person to be able to move like that at that height?"

Mar 23, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) dribbles the ball in the first half against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

He wouldn't be wrong. The 20-year-old has quickly made his mark on the NBA, taking home the Rookie of the Year award to cap off a stellar rookie campaign. Few players have ever possessed the freakish skillset he has — and arguably none.

Gay had plenty of positive things to fellow UConn Husky Castle, who he considers to be a pivotal piece for San Antonio moving forward. In fact, UConn coach Dan Hurley has attributed a Jrue Holiday comparison to the rookie before.

"I'm not big for comparisons, but I think he can be great," Gay said. "I think he can definitely help a team right now. With the right coaching, and they have it with Pop, he can be as great as he wants to be."

Even going past that, the larger comparison between Castle and Wembanyma to Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo was brought up. As high of a bar that is to climb, Gay understood why that compariosn could be drawn.

"Yeah," Gay explained, "I think Wemby is more of a dynamic player than Giannis anyways."

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That's incredibly high praise for the young duo, but from what the league has already seen from Wembanyma and what Castle projects to be, it's not an outlandish comparison. Both players are fully skilled enough to become as good individually as the former Milwuakee Buck duo, but also together.

With those two players at the head of their core — not to mention Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and more — the future of the Spurs has a more positive outlook now than the past several years.

"They're going to be a very good team in the future and also they have a great GM in the organization," Gay said. "They'll be fine in the future."

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