Inside The Spurs

Victor Wembanyama Could Be Spurs’ LeBron James, Odds Say

After just a slight increase in their chances at winning the NBA Finals with the arrival of Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs may have found their LeBron James, at least in terms of odds impact.

Matt Guzman

Victor Wembanyama Could Be Spurs’ LeBron James, Odds Say
Victor Wembanyama Could Be Spurs’ LeBron James, Odds Say /
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Thursday, June 22, 2023 is likely to be one of the days forever etched in San Antonio Spurs history. 

If all goes according to plan, that day marks the official San Antonio-homecoming for 7-4 big man Victor Wembanyama. He'll become the third No. 1 pick in Spurs franchise history, and will begin his ascent to the top of the league record books. 

Despite not having played a single game in the NBA, Wembanyama has been touted almost as highly as LeBron James was 20 years ago. He’s already been given the task of becoming as great as some of the biggest names in basketball history — less he bears the weight of being a "disappointment". 

Fair expectations or not, the arrival of the French phenom will change the league in more ways than one ... for everyone but Vegas. 

Despite the impending arrival of Wembanyama, the Spurs do not seem to instill faith in oddsmakers, who still have the young team in the bottom 10 teams in the league with +10000 odds to win the NBA Finals. 

San Antonio sits in seventh place overall, in front of some of the usual suspects of the last couple of years — Detroit, Charlotte, Houston and Orlando — but Utah and Washington also fell towards the bottom of the pack ahead of next season.

The Spurs are a lottery team, yes, and have been for the past two seasons, but even so, the odds may seem slightly surprising, especially considering that the Spurs only jumped three spots from last season, when they had the fourth worst odds at +50000. 

The Cavs saw a similar change — meaning not much of one — in their odds before and after drafting a rookie James. The year before the arrival of the Akron native, Cleveland was given the third-worst odds, with +25000.

Those numbers seemed to be accurate. A season later, and the Cavs were armed with the No. 1 overall pick, yet when they officially brought in James, their new odds put them in the same position as next year’s Spurs. 

So, maybe Wembanyama is similar to James after all — at least that’s what the numbers say. Spurs fans can only hope the center’s on-court performance is at a level like the NBA superstar. 

Where they hope the French phenom will differ however, is in his career path. It took James 13 seasons and a return stint to Cleveland before the city earned its title, so naturally, San Antonio will hope for it sooner. 

But if they’re betting the odds, next year may not be the year to do it … unless Wembanyama surprises everyone.

The 2023 NBA Draft is set for Thursday, June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Coverage will begin on ESPN at 7 p.m. CST.

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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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