Victor Wembanyama Credits Sacrifice, Hard Work For Spurs' Turnaround
Victor Wembanyama finds the San Antonio Spurs' rapid turnaround unsurprising despite the team having the NBA's third-best record at 39-16 coming exactly one year after doctors diagnosed him with deep vein thrombosis that ended his 2024-25 season. The transformation from a 34-48 finish is believable to Wembanyama because of what he witnessed from teammates.
"Not hard to believe, no," he said. "Because I've seen everybody put in the work. I've seen everybody sacrifice things. [It's] very believable but doesn't mean it was easy by any means."
The Spurs hold a 13-7 mark against the NBA's other nine teams with winning percentages of .600 or better. The rapid ascent comes almost exactly one year after a devastating diagnosis that sources described as a scary and emotional day full of confusion within the organization.
The February 20, 2025 announcement shutting down Wembanyama registered as another incident adversity in a season that began with Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich suffering a stroke not even 10 days into the campaign. The Spurs also shelved trade deadline acquisition De'Aaron Fox, who underwent season-ending surgery to repair tendon damage in his left pinkie.
San Antonio dropped 19 of their last 30 games, including 11 of the 18 Fox sat out, finishing 34-48 and missing the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.
Wembanyama used the time away to rehab and reflect before embarking on a transformative summer. He hosted a chess tournament in Le Chesnay, France, visited Costa Rica and Tokyo, hung out at NASA's Johnson Space Center, and spent 10 days at a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China, practicing kung fu and meditation with monks. He also met with Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Hakeem Olajuwon.
This season, Wembanyama is averaging a career-high 24.4 points while shooting 51.1% from the field and 36.3% from 3-point range. His chemistry with Fox has improved dramatically from last season when the duo played just 120 minutes together over five games with a net rating of minus-2.4.
When the pair is on the court together this season, San Antonio's record is 22-9 with a net efficiency of plus-10.9 in 645 minutes.
The return and development of Stephon Castle, the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year, has also fueled the resurgence. After shooting 42.8% last season, he's up to 46.4% this season with improved efficiency. Keldon Johnson, a contender for NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and starting small forward Devin Vassell are entering their primes.
The Spurs' depth has lightened the burden during Wembanyama's absences. At the All-Star break last season, San Antonio produced a net efficiency of minus-7.9 with Wembanyama off the court. This season, that number sits at plus-1.0. When Wembanyama missed 12 games due to a left calf strain earlier this season, the Spurs went 9-3.
"Only one way to find out," Wembanyama said of the tests ahead of the Spurs. "But just like anything, what's gonna happen is gonna happen. There's gonna be some good. There's gonna be some bad. It's about how we react to everything."
