San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama is looking to help the five-time NBA champions regain their winning culture as he heads into his sophomore year in the league.
The Olympic silver medallist enjoyed a meteoric rise in his record-breaking rookie season as his otherworldly performances earned him the Rookie of the Year award.
Wembanyama spearheaded the NBA’s youngest team last season, but with the arrivals of the veteran duo of Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, the Frenchman is hoping to help the Spurs start the incoming season on a strong note.
“The difference with last year is it was my very first experience,” the 20-year-old said. “So, I was really running around doing a bunch of stuff, but now we’re trying to set a winning culture early this year. And yeah, just, I mean, we want to start the year strong.
“We don’t want to wait for 50 or 60 games to lock in. So, it starts in the preseason. And of course, I want to be a part of it and help my team the best I can.”
Paul, who was waived by the Golden State Warriors, heads into his 20th year in the NBA, while Barnes, who they got in a trade with the Sacramento Kings, have over a combined 30 years experience in the league having played over 200 playoffs games too.
Wembanyama, who is the first player in league history with 1,500 points, 250 blocks, and 100 3-pointers in a season, is looking to learn from the two experienced heads, especially Paul, who is regarded as one of the best point guards ever and has a history of making players around him better.
“He could say something, every position, every practice,” he said when about Paul. “You know, he gives us feedback on what he’s used to doing, how defences play them usually so how we can, you know, get more space. So he’s approaching this in a very unselfish way.”
San Antonio will be in action on Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their first preseason game and Wembanyama, who averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game last season, will be in action at the AT & T Center.
