The San Antonio Spurs won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery and, in turn, Victor Wembanyama. So what will the Spurs lineup look like with the French superstar?
Coming into the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night, the San Antonio Spurs were one of the three worst teams in the league with a 14% chance at earning the No. 1 overall pick. When the ping-pong balls were drawn, though, it was the Spurs who won the top selection and, as such, the right to take Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama, the teenage French sensation who many have called the best NBA Draft prospect since LeBron James, is expected to take the league by storm. Measuring in at 7-foot-5 but with guard skills as an offensive player in addition to a great interior presence defensively, he's a game-changer for the Spuers in the truest sense of the word.
Sure, San Antonio could shock everyone and not take Wembanyama — but that's a fantasy land. The French superstar is going to learn under one of the best coaches in NBA history, Greg Popovich. But what will he look like on the Spurs?
Projected Spurs starting lineup with Victor Wembanyama
Once the Spurs select Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, here's what the starting lineup should look like for San Antonio:
- PG: Tre Jones
- SG: Devin Vassell
- SF: Keldon Johnson
- PF: Jeremy Sochan
- C: Victor Wembanyama
That lineup, of course, is before we see what the Spurs could potentially do in free agency. However, winning the NBA Draft Lottery definitely changes the calculus for San Antonio both this offseason and moving forward.
Wembanyama, as stated, is a cornerstone piece for the franchise. With the emergence of Keldon Johnson and the interior presence of Jeremy Sochan, the French star can fit right into the mix. Even better, Popovich is in the mix to make things work and develop the youngster as he adapts to the NBA.
This is a turning point moment for the Spurs. There's a reason to compare it to the Tim Duncan pick in 1997 too. That selection changed the direction of San Antonio for two decades. And if Wembanyama lives up to the hype, this has the chance to do the same.