Mar 27, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and head coach Gregg Popovich speak during a break in action against the Utah Jazz during the third quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Ex-Spur Danny Green: Victor Wembanyama 'Way Better Off' Under Gregg Popovich

Originally posted on San Antonio Spurs on SI
By Tanner Marlar | Last updated Oct 31, 2024 12:30 PM ET

With any NBA prospect, the launch pad is just as important as the landing zone, and Victor Wembanyama is no different.

Gregg Popovich has been the face of the San Antonio Spurs' bench for decades for good reasons. He and his staff have developed some of the best players in the league, and Wembanyama is on that same path. Whether fans agree or not, NBA Champion and former Spur Danny Green agrees.

Green took to the airwaves yesterday to discuss the impact that comes from having a coach like Popovich in a player's rookie season.

Chandler Parsons: "How much better off is Wemby with Gregg Popovich?"

Danny Green: "Joel Embiid and all these superstars, I think their careers would be a lot different if they played for a different coach starting out."

(via @RunItBackFDTV)pic.twitter.com/q3TcRvIddy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 30, 2024

"(Wembanyama is) way better off," Green said on FanDuel's 'Run it Back.' "(It's) huge, and I talk about Joel (Embiid) and all these All-Stars, these superstars, and I think that a lot of their careers and trajectory would be a lot different had they played for a different coach starting out.

"No disrespect to the coaches that have coached them ... but it's hard to come into a situation and try to make somebody professional after seeing some unprofessional atmospheres."

Green won a championship with the Spurs in 2014 and set the NBA record for three pointers made in an NBA finals series in 2013. He is only the third North Carolina basketball alumni to win both an NBA and NCAA championship, joining the likes of James Worthy and Michael Jordan.

Popovich has coached the likes of Kawhi Leonard to the mountaintop of the league, and with Wembanyama's talent on full display in his rookie campaign, the veteran coach now has a chance to mold Wembanyama into his fullest potential.

He just has to get over his sophomore slump.

This article first appeared on San Antonio Spurs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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