Victor Wembanyama is entering a pivotal season in his professional career, as the year in an NBA career is typically when a player is expected to make at least some kind of noise in the postseason and league award races. Wembanyama appeared poised to do the latter this past season before deep vein thrombosis ended his campaign, but not so much the former.
With the San Antonio Spurs adding top guard prospect and No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper to an emerging lineup that already includes newly-extended star DeAaron Fox and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, not to mention Wembanyama. The Spurs current wins line is set at over/under 44.5 wins, which would have got them in the play-in as the No. 9 seed last season with either 44 or 45.
Mar 4, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) looks over in the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
As Wembanyama and the Spurs enter this pivotal season not only in his career but also in the team’s ascension to becoming championship level, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst laid out how the Spurs could do so in a timely manner before they begin to sacrifice the early years of their young star’s prime.
“I would say that they need experience,” Windhorst said. “Because they’ve kind of got two different teams. They’ve got some veterans on their roster. But with Dylan Harper, who is their No. 2 overall pick, he’s already got a wrist injury.
“Unfortunately, he’s going to miss some time. Maybe almost all the preseason. With him and Stephon Castle, you’re looking at committing to playing two very young guards. If you think about the recipe for winning in the NBA, it’s not playing young guards. Now, De’Aaron Fox, obviously, they committed to him hugely.”
As a solution, Windhorst suggested that the Spurs employ an approach not unlike the controversial “two timelines” approach used in Golden State after the Warriors acquired top two picks in consecutive years while Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson battled their respective injury demons.
Feb 10, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and guard De’Aaron Fox (4) react during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
“They do have other veterans on their roster, like Devin Vassell and Harrison Barnes,” Windhorst added. “But to me, they’re going to maybe have to walk the line a little bit between developing their young guys who they drafted to put next to Victor and whether they want to actually win in a very highly competitive Western Conference.”
While it’s always tempting to surround young talent with veterans and vice versa, Windhorst more than anyone should know that Golden State’s approach was largely unsuccessful and has only avoided ridicule because of the continued magic of Stephen Curry.
A fitting end to the two timelines era of the Warriors: a series that reminds the team and its owners that their success revolves around one player and one player only and spending five years of his career building for an illusion was always nonsensical hubris
— David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) May 15, 2025
The situation is different in that the young players are the backbone in San Antonio where as the veterans were the backbone in Golden State, so perhaps the Spurs could do better with a similar strategy if they found the right ceiling-raising veteran star.
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