NBA Draft: Do Spurs 'Need' Victor Wembanyama?

Victor Wembanyama is coming to the San Antonio Spurs, but did the franchise need to win the NBA Draft lottery?

Jeremy Brener | May 29, 2023

NBA Draft: Do Spurs 'Need' Victor Wembanyama? /

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San Antonio Spurs

It's been about two weeks since the San Antonio Spurs landed the No. 1 overall pick, which should award them the chance to select Victor Wembanyama on June 22.

Winning the lottery gives the Spurs a clear vision for their future, and a true superstar to build around ... but did San Antonio need Wembanyama? Bleacher Report believes so.

"The Spurs needed a star, and their lottery jackpot delivered one with a non-zero chance of shining brighter than any before him," Bleacher Report writes.

Wembanyama certainly elevates the Spurs' ceiling and creates a full hierarchy for what their team could look like in the coming years. It also gives the Spurs a player to build around, which the team didn't have previously.

This season, Wembanyama has played 33 games for Metropolitans 92 — a team within France's LNB-A professional league — and averaged 21 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.5 assists. He is an all-around player with extreme reach on boards and the ability to knock down shots. In the playoffs, he's been the leading scorer for a team with a legitimate shot to win the league title.

Could the Spurs have gotten back into title contention without Wembanyama? We will never know, but it certainly would be a lot harder.

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Published May 29, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.