NBA prospect Victor Wembanyama is set to receive help from one of the game's greatest players in Tim Duncan.
The unstoppable Frenchman is expected to be first pick in next month’s NBA draft and the San Antonio Spurs have the luxury of making that choice. According to The Stein Line, the five-time champion, who was the top draft pick in 1997, will assist the development of the 19-year-old.
Duncan is a former Spurs player and with Gregg Popvich’s team becoming increasingly likely to select Wembanyama, the franchise have put plans in place for their next prodigy. It's even mooted that Duncan will make trips to the practice facilities to work with the French phenom.
This is the first time Duncan will be working closely with the team since the 2019-20 campaign, when he served as assistant coach. It is currently unknown if the 15-time All-Star will once again join the team in an official capacity.
The Spurs’ likely selection of Wembanyama will mark the first time, since they picked Duncan himself 26 years ago, that the team has first pick. It will also be the third time in franchise history they’ve had the No. 1 selection and on the previous two occasions the Spurs produced a 56-26 regular season record in their debit campaigns.
Robinson went on to win two championships and an MVP Award with the Spurs, while Duncan claimed five championships, three finals MVP awards and two regular season MVP trophies. Wembanyama could be on the verge of joining a historic team and will have some very big shoes to fill. The Spurs will hope his talents can lift a franchise which has missed the playoffs for the past four seasons and finished with a disappointing 22-60 record this year.
But the youngster seems ready to embrace any of the inevitable pressure and scrutiny that comes with being a top draft pick and is excited by the prospect of working with the legendary coach Popovich. "It would be an honor [to play for Popovich] for sure," Wembanyama said in a French interview.
“From what I've heard, he's demanding, but one thing I know for sure is that he's good, and until proven otherwise, he has more experience than I do. If I have the chance to be coached by Pop, it will be with a lot of humility and excitement."
At the NBA draft lottery, Wembanyama said he is targeting a championship ring when he enters the league. "[I’m] A team player, I’m going to do everything to win as many games as I can and I’m trying to win a ring ASAP so be ready. I’m going to try bring my talents here, I love Texas, I’ve been there before.
"I’m really happy and I really can’t wait to meet the fans and hopefully the team I’m going to join.” The excited basketball star added: "I can’t really describe it my heart’s beating I’ve got everyone I love, everyone I know around me. It’s really special moment I’m going to remember for the rest of my life."
