George Gervin is excited to watch Victor Wembanyama lead the San Antonio Spurs, but he has concerns about one aspect of his improvement.
The San Antonio Spurs have been swept up in NBA trade rumors this summer, and have been linked to premier free agents like Naz Reid and draft prospects like Dylan Harper.
No matter how they conduct themselves this offseason, the plan remains the same: build around Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs have had more than their fair share of superstars, although Wembanyama is easily the most transformative and unique player to ever play in San Antonio.
George Gervin, the Spurs’ first superstar, heaped praise on Wembanyama, but he has one major concern about his career.
For 29 seasons, Gregg Popovich manned the sidelines in San Antonio. He won his first title on the backs of David Robinson and Tim Duncan, and went on to win four more, as well as win more games than any coach in league history.
Along the way, he turned overlooked players Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili, and Dejounte Murray, among others, into All-Stars, and became synonymous with winning.
After the Spurs landed the first overall pick in 2023, Popovich signed a five-year extension, although a stroke and further medical complications ended his coaching career, with him officially retiring last month.
Popovich will remain with the Spurs as President of Basketball Operations and will continue to play a massive part in Wembanyama’s development, but the transition away from Pop will be hard for both the young star and the organization.
“I’m sad that Pop is gone, but I think Pop left him in good hands, and Pop’s still going to be around,” said Gervin on Fanduel’s Run It Back, before heaping Wemby with praise.
“He is a special individual,” Gervin said. “I mean, next two years if he stays healthy, y’all know he could really be the face [of the league]. He got the personality, man. He got the morals, and he expressed himself really well.”
While the Spurs will certainly miss Popovich on the sidelines and in the locker room, Wembanyama spent the vast majority of his second season under Mitch Johnson, who was promoted to head coach with Popovich’s support.
While Wembanyama and Popovich seemed to develop a quick bond, Pop is not the only coach Wembanyama has played for. In the NBA, Mitch Johnson coached 77 games, with Wembanyama playing in 41 of them.
Before he joined the Spurs, Wembanyama took Metropolitans 92 to the French League Finals, losing to Monaco, although he won season MVP.
Before that, he played for Tony Parker’s ASVEL Basket under head coach TJ Parker, Tony’s brother, and finished first in the regular season, and he played for Nanterre under coach Pascal Donnadieu.
In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Wembanyama and head coach Vincent Collet finished second, losing the gold medal game to the USA.
While Popovich is the most decorated coach Wembanyama has ever played for, he has shown time and time again that he doesn’t need the all-time wins leader to be calling plays for him. While losing Pop will certainly be an adjustment, he is expected to be a regular figure at games and in the practice facility.
