Emulating a rival in the Western Conference might reignite the Spurs’ dynasty.
As we head into the offseason, there are plenty of moves the San Antonio Spurs will consider to level up their squad ahead of the start of next season. Victor Wembanyama just concluded one of the best rookie seasons in franchise history, becoming a Defensive Player of the Year award finalist and earning his way to become the first rookie in league history to be honored as First-Team All Defensive. Of course, with whatever path they take, the Spurs will be looking to build around Wembanyama. The one-of-a-kind talent already has all-time great potential, and his mentality is clearly one that is hungry for success now, not years down the road. The organization is well aware of what they have on their hands, and time will not be wasted.
As San Antonio stays current with league trends and monitors what their peers are doing, they would be remiss not to acknowledge the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their General Manager, Tim Connelly, has been showing off his genius over the last several years. After leaving the Denver Nuggets and building what would become a championship-winning roster there, he immediately began constructing a team designed to beat his creation in Minnesota.
Using multiple big men might seem like an outdated NBA concept to an outsider, but in reality there are absolutely ways for it to work and succeed in a big way. Just look at the Wolves, who employ a trio of Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid, using each of their unique talents to stifle opponents.
They have advanced to the Western Conference Finals thanks to it, so we shouldn’t write Minnesota’s strategy off as a one-time fluke. Tim Connelly’s trade secret will become public knowledge as the playoffs go, and other teams from across the league will start to think about attempting to replicate it. The Spurs ought to be considering this idea as well, keeping all options open. With Victor Wembanyama at the center, San Antonio may make use of a roster that features several big guys in a number of ways.
Getting a capable backup big who can keep Wemby from being pulled away from the basket and enable his elite rim protection skills to continue shining would be a great scenario, as Spurs fan Jesse Blanchard says. Victor obviously has a lot of effects on the game, but his ability to remove shots from the interior is still one of the biggest. This is a strategy that the Spurs should keep in mind with only a few weeks left until the draft and free agency start. Naturally, employing this tactic won’t allow them to instantly turn their defense into Minnesota’s, but it’s still an intriguing plan to attempt and take advantage of.
