SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich heaped a tremendous amount of praise on rookie Victor Wembanyama ahead of Wednesday night's game against the Celtics.
When asked about his thoughts on the 20-year-old rookie, Popovich noted the young player's maturity and how he doesn't let the hype get to his head.
"He's probably the most mature 20-year-old I've ever run into," Popovich said. "He's got not just a knack and an IQ for the game, but (he's) just worldly. He understands priorities, you know. All the hoopla around him, doesn't affect him."
Wembanyama has been playing at a high level in recent games and is living up to the massive expectations heading into his rookie season.
Ahead of the team's game versus Boston on Wednesday night, he was posting 23.8 points per game to go along with 9.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and a whopping 3.6 blocks, all while on a minutes restriction.
Against the Celtics, he recorded 27 points in 27 minutes while still being on limited minutes.
"He just does his job and works hard. He's a great teammate. So he's going to be a wonderful player," Popovich said.
The praise did not stop there.
With Wembanyama following in the big footsteps of past franchise big men Tim Duncan and David Robinson, Popovich recognizes that he shares something in common with them: Trusting the process to be great.
"He is like Tim and David because they care more about the process and how things are done or you can't get to your ultimate goals," he said. "You can't skip any of those kinds of steps. He's been diligent in working on the basic fundamentals."
Wemby is striving for greatness as his NBA career unfolds.
He made it clear he wants to win titles and become great at every aspect on and off the court. He even accepts responsibility when he does not play up to his best.
Case in point: When he got benched to start the second half of the team's recent game versus Atlanta, he rebounded for a better second half.
"He understood completely that they (team) deserved it, thought that he deserved it, came back in, and did a hell of a job in the game," Popovich said.
Wemby has been shattering NBA records in just four months of his NBA career.
Most recently, he recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a win versus Detroit. It was the second-fastest (22 minutes) performance to a triple-double, behind only Russell Westbrook.
"This is the kind of statement I want to make as a player," Wembanyama said.
He also doesn't let the huge spotlight on him get in the way of his focus on the court.
"It just felt funny how I really don't care," he said following the game against Boston. "lt even surprised myself how much I don't pay attention to it and it doesn't change my routine standard, change my attitude. I'm built for this, but it's not what I love. I love the sport. I love being an elite athlete."
That kind of attitude appears to be what Popovich appreciates about Wembanyama as a player and beyond.
"I'm fortunate that he's that mature, and understands what matters," he said. "Not just in winning and losing, but how to play the game. Understanding how it all fits together and what's expected."
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