Victor Wembanyama’s next job in San Antonio goes beyond carrying the Spurs on the floor. With Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr. joining the roster, the 22-year-old is suddenly being asked to do something that usually falls to the grizzled veterans: show the rookies how it’s done.
That’s a pretty striking turn for a player who has already piled up a résumé most stars would envy. Wembanyama is a three-time shot-blocking leader, a top-three candidate for league MVP, the NBA’s first unanimous DPOY, and he already has a Finals appearance on his record. At just 22, he’s entering his fourth season, and now he’s the most experienced center in San Antonio’s rotation.
That matters because the Spurs’ new bigs are not walking into a soft landing. Quaintance and Reed could be asked to play meaningful minutes soon, and if both stay healthy and available, Mitch Johnson will undoubtedly lean on them this season. The expectation could even stretch into the playoffs.
San Antonio needs interior help behind Wembanyama, which means the rookies may be thrown into some big moments fast. That’s where Wemby’s influence becomes just as important as his rim protection. He can teach them the details, sure, but the bigger lesson is how to handle the pressure that comes with real responsibility.
He’s already shown he can do that. The source points to his 2026 playoff run, when he wasn’t rattled by the bright lights and pressure of his first postseason appearance.
For Quaintance and Reed, the setup is almost ideal: a young team with huge upside and a front-row seat behind one of the most unique players in NBA history. For Wembanyama, it’s another sign that he’s not just the centerpiece in San Antonio - he’s the guy the next wave is supposed to learn from.
In Other News...
Steph Curry To Spurs Buzz Suddenly Feels Worth Watching
The offseason chatter around Golden State has kept Steph Curry in the rumor mill, and the noise has only gotten louder after the Warriors failed to make meaningful roster upgrades. ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins even floated the idea that Curry should think about moving on, which is the kind of comment that naturally sends speculation spinning in every direction. For San Antonio, it is at least easy to see why the idea has traction, given the Spurs mix of young talent and the kind of long-term flexibility that always invites bigger-swing conversations.
The buzz gets especially interesting because one speculative framework has Curry landing in San Antonio in a deal built around Dylan Harper, DeAaron Fox and future draft capital. It is still firmly in the realm of analysis, not anything close to a real transaction, but it is the sort of proposal that forces you to think about where the Spurs want to press their timeline and what they would be willing to move to do it. Even as the scenario remains hypothetical, it feels like the rare kind of star rumor that fits San Antonios broader rise well enough to keep watching. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Harper Just Changed The Spurs Debate Around DeAaron Fox
Dylan Harper has spent his first year around a Spurs team trying to sort out both its present and its backcourt future, and he does not sound interested in turning De'Aaron Fox into a roster problem. Harper pointed to Fox as a meaningful part of San Antonios success now and down the road, a notable endorsement in a season where the guard rotation and Foxs contract have both been part of the conversation.
Harper also made clear that the fit questions others might raise are not his concern. He said playing alongside multiple ball-handlers has never bothered him, which only adds another layer to a Spurs guard situation that already has plenty of moving pieces. Foxs role in Harpers development is part of that story, and it leaves San Antonio with a familiar kind of good problem as it weighs how to keep this group together. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Harper Has One Clear Opening In Spurs Young Core
Dylan Harper enters his second NBA season with a clearer path in the Spurs young core, and the timing works in his favor. San Antonio already has Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle drawing attention as the franchise builds around its rising talent, but Harpers growth late in his rookie year gave the team another reason to believe he can become a real part of the rotation moving forward.
Harpers shooting was the biggest swing factor, and it improved enough down the stretch to make his case stronger heading into the offseason. The expectation now is that he will handle a larger role, though one of the open questions is whether that means a spot in the starting group or more impact minutes off the bench if the jumper keeps holding up. [Read more 🡒]