The next generation is taking over the league! Anthony Edwards, Paolo Banchero, Luka Doncic, the former first-overall pick Victor Wembanyama, and others have garnered considerable attention in the last two years. Of course, all these youngsters have established their name in the league, including the 7-foot-5 center. The ROTY had an exceptional season despite the losing record. However, the Spurs bounced back this offseason, adding Chris Paul and other assets to the roster. This benefits the squad and Wemby, who will have a lot of guidance under CP3 and Coach Pop. Moreover, former Spur praised the Frenchman for the upcoming season.

DeMar DeRozan spent 3 years in San Antonio after his 9-year stint with the Raptors. Now, playing under Coach Pop, DeRozan has enough of an idea when it comes to player development in San Antonio. In the recent episode of Paul George‘s podcast, DeMar highlighted Wemby’s performance, which will take him to the next level.

“I don’t think he could’ve gone to a better place, better person, better situation, because the way, the knowledge that, first of all, from everything I hear, Wemby is already a hell of a kid anyway. Like, so the discipline, the hunger, the drive, the motivation, he already has been underneath the tutelage of a Pop, I think he would be able to tell this season; I mean, you can see in the championship game in the Olympics. You can just see it.”, said DeRozan. There’s no doubt that the youngster has a lot of confidence and hunger to prove himself.

Also, with CP3 in the lineup, Wembamyama can expect a few easy buckets each game. However, as promising as his future looks, Diesel doesn’t believe him to be a dominant presence. Shaquille O’Neal was himself an alarming threat back in the day. But with modern-day big men taking more jump shots, Shaq has a different perspective on the ROTY. “Wemby is a great player, but I don’t really think you can be dominant when you shoot jumpers a lot. I think if he was an inside player at 7’5″, the answer would be ‘yes,’ but when you shoot jumpers, you’re always going to go up and down. But he’s a fine player; I wish him well.”, said O’Neal on the Pat McAfee Show.

Wembanyama averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and led the league with 3.6 blocks per game. Now, when it comes to pulling up from deep, Victor averaged 5.5 attempts from beyond the arc. But he only managed to drain 32.5 % of his threes. Nevertheless, even though Wemby shoots more jumpers, the rookie got the job done defensively and still managed to have a threatening presence in the paint. And as the regular season approaches, so does the counting expectations from Wemby and the Spurs.

Victor Wembanyama and company have a lot to prove

For some, the Spurs are one of the underrated franchises to look out for next season. Most of it has to do with Wemby’s anticipated sophomore year along with CP3 and guys like Sochan and Barnes. Despite their losing record last year, the younger core of the roster is expected to step up next year, pushing the Spurs under the top ten mark in the West. But then again, it all comes down to how the rotations work out with Victor Wembanyama being the center of attention.

Knowing how competitive the West has grown to be for the upcoming season, the Spurs will have a hard time establishing themselves as a playoff contender. Not to mention, the lower-seeded teams also went through a few upgrades this offseason. It will be interesting to see Wembanyama go off in his second season. What are your thoughts on the Frenchman? Do you think playing alongside CP3 will be beneficial for the Frenchman next season? Let us know in the comments.

Feel that you can do with another update from the sport of basketball? Then do check out this recent interview with the up-and-coming Georgia Lady Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.