Will San Antonio become the new Lob City ? With a named interior Victor Wembanyamaculminating at 2m24 and whose wingspan is around 2m43, and a Chris Paulnicknamed “Point God” for his passing quality, the question deserves to be seriously asked. This preseason meeting against the Magic was the opportunity to observe Wemby and CP3 under the same colors for the first time.
“Wearing this Spurs jersey, playing with Victor (Wembanyama) and for coach Pop’, it’s a unique and special experience”slips Chris Paul at a press conference.
Enjoy the attraction of Wemby
“I'm sure it will be a magical doublet, it will make us jump out of our seats every thirty seconds”, launches Ritta Tobin, surrounded by her three children and her husband, convinced that the former Clippers star “will make Wemby grow twice as fast.” “I'hope to see a lot of alley oop'. The wish of this long-time Spurs supporter did not remain pious for long: for the one and only French interior basket of the first quarter, 52 seconds from time, CP3 and Wemby (almost) found each other eyes closed. A little well-felt one-handed pass from the new Spurs maestro then a devastating full-axis dunk: this is an action that Spurs fans should see on numerous occasions in the months to come.
“I was off to a bad start”laughs the best active passer in the Great League. “I was very happy to see him at that moment to get me out of trouble”. Before adding, with a frank smile: “At half-time, Victor said to me: ‘You’ll quickly realize this, I’m learning quickly’.”
On forced rest for the Spurs' first performance on Monday against OKC, Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama, sitting side by side on the Texan bench, spent long minutes discussing what San Antonio's game should be like this season. The 39-year-old playmaker, with twelve All-Star Game appearances under his belt, already seems to have some ideas for maximizing his French teammate's potential.
“With the attention he gets and the talent he has, he can serve as a decoy for us because sometimes everyone will be focused on him to try to stop him. We can take advantage of these kinds of situations,” hopes the new brain of the Spurs, coming out of a frustrating experience with the Warriors.
A mentor role that “CP3” already seems to take to heart
With this young and inexperienced Spurs team, where he is the only one, with Harrison Barnes (32), to be over thirty, Chris Paul, who is entering his 20th NBA season, is already playing his role as mentor. “He supervises the youngest perfectly, he makes them feel good about themselves”summarizes Coach Pop'. “Sometimes I'm just fascinated just listening to him give advice to his teammates. And I tell myself that I should have thought of that…”
Never crowned NBA champion since his Draft in 2005 by the New Orleans Hornets, the former Wake Forest man is embarking on a (final?) challenge at the dawn of his 40th birthday: helping the Spurs return to the playoffs, or failing that the “play-in”, after five years of wandering.
Mark Daigneault thus praises the importance of “CP3” in the process of rebuilding the Thunder and the emergence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, today among the most serious contenders for the MVP title.
“What gets a lot of attention, because he's so vocal, is what he says, and there's a lot of wisdom in his words.”says the 39-year-old technician, elected coach of the year last spring. “But the way he prepares every day to play basketball at a high level is more subtle but more striking. And his competitive spirit is just as competitive: during the match, his life revolves only around basketball because he expects to win every game he plays..
From our correspondent in San Antonio (United States).
