Bulked-up Victor Wembanyama eyes San Antonio Spurs play-off return

SAN ANTONIO – A bulked-up Victor Wembanyama said on Sept 30 that leading the San Antonio Spurs back to the play-offs is the “minimum objective” as he prepares for his second season in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The French prodigy enjoyed a dazzling 2023-24 debut season, winning Rookie of the Year and more than living up to the hype which accompanied his arrival in the league.

But for all the 20-year-old’s talent, it was not enough to stop San Antonio from finishing near the foot of the Western Conference with a 22-60 record, extending the Spurs’ five-year absence from the post-season.

Speaking at Spurs’ media day in Texas, Wembanyama said he is targeting a big improvement in the team’s fortunes this season, despite the likelihood of being a marked man.

“One of the things we talked about with the coach is that I won’t have a second, third, fourth chance in a game any more,” Wembanyama said.

“If we want to win now, I have to be a leader by example first. There will be no more room for those mistakes. There’s a lot of mental work to do. We’re going to encounter new difficulties this year.

“We want to put ourselves in that position of being a winning team, a play-off team. It’s a culture that has to be established. Bad habits are easier to adopt than good ones. Reaching the play-offs or the play-offs is the minimum objective.”

Despite his relative youth – Wembanyama will turn 21 in January – he is relishing the responsibility of being one of the team’s leaders.

“I’m used to leading by example, in the locker room and at both ends of the court. Both tactically and in the team spirit, I want to be, for example, the base of the defence, and also a little in attack,” he said.

“If I’m up to my standards and I help the team in the right way, I’ll have a leading role in attack and defence. It’s something that should happen naturally.”

Wembanyama, who spearheaded France’s run to the Olympic basketball final in August, when they were beaten by the star-studded United States team, has put on significant muscle as part of his preparations for the season.

The Spurs have listed him as weighing in at 106.5kg in team statistics, compared to 95kg in 2023.

Wembanyama, whose weight increased steadily over the course of last season, said his physical transformation had been gradual.

He said: “We really put an emphasis on getting strength and core strength, but not gaining weight necessarily. But weight will come with strength.

“So it’s just a result of the good work we’ve done all summer. I’m really satisfied with the summer we just had here.” AFP