Inside The Spurs

Spurs Starter, Monday, August 5, 2024: Victor Wembanyama & All-Things NBA 2K25

Your daily briefing on what's going on with the San Antonio Spurs, including news, draft & more.

Matt Guzman

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama in a render from Take-Two Interactive's upcoming NBA 2K25 release.
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama in a render from Take-Two Interactive's upcoming NBA 2K25 release. /
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Happy Monday, Por Vida fans! Welcome to your morning Spurs Starter.

One year following Victor Wembanyama's historic rookie rating on NBA 2K24 — an 84 — the newest set of figures is out for the 7-footer and the rest of his teammates.

The verdict? Five points higher. Wembanyama comes in at a team-high 89 rating on a San Antonio Spurs team given an overall rating of 81. The move comes one year after Wembanyama claimed he would get to 90 "by the end of the season" when the game's last installment was released, and while that might not have ended up being the case, his rating alone says quite a lot.

"It's a real statement that we're making," Singh said. "We think he's going to be really good. I'm excited." 

READ MORE: Ronnie 2K Speaks on Victor Wembanyama's Rookie Rating

This year, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Chris Paul, Tre Jones and Zach Collins back him up with ratings of 82, 80 and 79 each, respectively. While those numbers aren't bad, they weren't quite enough to crack the new gameplay trailer recently released by 2K.

Wembanyama, however, made it within seconds. As the game is running with a "X like" theme, alluding to Steph Curry's shooting, Kyrie Irving's dribbling and now Wembanyama's defending, it makes sense for the 20-year-old to have been one of the faces of the trailer — on par with his status around the league.

As the year progresses and Wembanyama continues to find his way in the NBA, perhaps he'll be one of the first players to get a ratings boost and make a bigger statement.

But until then, here are the headlines:

THE NEWS

1. READ: WOULD ANDREW NEMBHARD FIT WITH WEMBANYAMA, SPURS?

Although the Indiana Pacers guard just signed an extension over the offseason, the San Antonio Spurs may have interest in taking him away, especially at February's trade deadline. 

Read the full story at the link above.

2. READ: VICTOR WEMBANYAMA PUTS FRANCE ON HIS BACK VS. JAPAN

The San Antonio Spurs' NBA Rookie of the Year took over in the extra period to lift France over Japan in a come-from-behind victory Tuesday.

Read the full story at the link above.

France power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) celebrates with the crowd after France defeated Japan in men’s basketball group B
Jul 30, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; France power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) celebrates with the crowd after France defeated Japan in men’s basketball group B play during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

3. READ: CAN SPURS' ADDITIONS LIFT WEMBANYAMA, SAN ANTONIO IN NBA CUP?

Victor Wembanyama was the clear-cut No. 1 option on the San Antonio Spurs well before he was drafted, but now that he's fully acclimated and shining, he's got some help for future success.

Read the full story above.

THE DRAFT

Now that the 2024 NBA Draft is over, you can check out the newest Spurs and what they might bring to the team next season and down the road. Below are the some stories about the rookies selected:

Round 1, Pick No. 4: Stephon Castle

Round 2, Pick No. 36: Juan Núñez

Round 2, Pick No. 48: Harrison Ingram

THE SCHEDULE

There are 80 days until opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season, but the San Antonio Spurs have more to look forward to prior to that. The regular season schedule has yet to be released, but the entire preseason schedule — also still a ways away — has.

There, the team will get its first chance to hit the floor with a complete roster. Also of note, Victor Wembanyama and Team France are competing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Below is a list of dates and start times (all in CST) for both sets of games:

San Antonio Spurs Preseason

Oct. 7: Home vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Tipoff at 7 p.m.)
Oct. 9: Home vs. Orlando Magic (Tipoff at 7 p.m.)
Oct. 12: Home vs. Utah Jazz (Tipoff at 7 p.m.)

Oct. 15: Away at Miami Heat (Tipoff at 6:30 p.m.)
Oct. 17: Away at Houston Rockets (Tipoff at 7 p.m.)

Team France Olympic Slate

Preliminary Games:
July 27: France vs. Brazil (W 78-66)
July 30: France vs. Japan (W 94-90)
Aug. 2: France vs. Germany (L 85-71)

Men's Quarterfinal:
Aug 6: France vs. Canada (Tipoff 11 a.m.)

AROUND THE NBA

Catch up on some of the league-wide headlines below:

Also, be sure to follow along with Spurs On SI's NBA tracker, with more detailed breakdowns of major league news and updates.

THE CLOSER

Check out our homepage for more news and follow us on the platforms below. Thank you for tuning in and enjoy the rest of your Monday.

Published
Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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