The Athletic NBA Daily – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Is Wembanyama ready for the MVP conversation?
Release Date: October 2, 2025
Hosts: NBA Daily team (main host unidentified in transcript)
Guest: Jared Weiss (NBA reporter, now covering the Spurs)

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a comprehensive preseason preview for the San Antonio Spurs, focusing on the meteoric rise of Victor Wembanyama (“Wemby”) and whether he’s ready for legitimate MVP talk in 2025–26. Host and reporter Jared Weiss break down the Spurs’ intriguing offseason, speculate on player developments, analyze the team’s identity, and project their place in the daunting Western Conference.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Offseason Moves & Changing Trajectory

[02:31] – San Antonio’s major offseason moves included:

• De’Aaron Fox extended (4 yrs, $229M): Spurs doubled down on Fox as a key veteran.
• Rookies acquired in draft: Dylan Harper (#2 pick, currently recovering from thumb injury), Carter Bryant (#14 pick).
• New faces: Trade for Kelly Olynyk and four-year deal to Luke Kornet, adding frontcourt size and shooting.

Jared Weiss on Harper’s injury:

“He’s not gonna rush it back... If I need to have surgery, let’s have surgery now. I got a long career ahead of me.” [03:39]

Biggest shift:

• The main paradigm shift is the return and expected leap of Wembanyama, whose year-two progression is the biggest swing for San Antonio. Last year’s second-half absence due to blood clots limited the team’s development and win total.

2. Wembanyama’s MVP Trajectory

[05:03] Weiss deconstructs the next steps for “Wemby”:

• Even as a “mediocre version of Wemby, he’s already like a top 10 player in the NBA.”
• The upcoming season could see the Spurs try using Wemby as a Jokic-style offensive hub, distributing from anywhere on the floor and becoming the all-encompassing pivot point.

Weiss:

“If Wemby’s drawing 10 free throws a game—it’s a wrap. He’s getting to the MVP conversation.” [11:23]

3. Breakout Candidates and Development Needs

• Stephon Castle: “Obvious pathway to a big step forward... core starter... Mono Ginobili-esque fit.” [07:22]
• Devin Vassell: Needs to prove consistency and health. Now 25, moving off his rookie deal, “He’s gotta kind of prove that he can be consistent throughout the year and be a real two way force for them...” [07:54]
• Fox's potential leap: Not to be forgotten; lingering finger injuries (“It’s just like a whole thing going on.”) [06:04]
• Spurs are seen as much deeper, more structured under new head coach Mitch Johnson (Popovich has stepped out of day-to-day).

4. Offensive vs. Defensive Identity

Last season’s issue:

• Spurs finished in the bottom third in offense, defense, and pace despite youth and promise. Couldn’t translate athleticism/youth into real results. [09:08]

Host:

“I’m hearing the opportunity for one, scoring. Lots of scoring, lots of ball movement, lots of different weapons... But I’m also hearing a little bit more potentially consistency on defense.” [09:44]

Weiss on unlocking offense:

• How Wemby and Fox interaction could generate “a lot of times where Wemby is standing by himself because Fox is so fast.”
• The expectation is for Wemby to make smarter reads, not just settle for threes, but use his gravity to generate fouls and easier offense.
• Aspirations for top half of the league offense.

5. Defensive Growth & Holistic Team Play

• Can Fox return to being a high-level point-of-attack defender? Weiss questions whether he can refocus there after taking on greater offensive loads in Sacramento. [15:03]
• They can’t just “feed everything to Wemby”—the supporting cast must relieve pressure so he’s not worn down.
• Building a higher-pressure, riskier defense with Wemby as a backline failsafe makes sense for this roster's talents and fits their youth and athleticism. [18:15]

6. Roster Depth and Potential Trades

• "Blushing of riches"—Spurs boast depth with Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Carter Bryant, and more.
• Likely trade candidates: Young veterans like Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell if the team needs to consolidate for a more immediate playoff push. [22:40]
• Spurs will be patient with the rebuild, especially if not a clear contender by the trade deadline: “They've got time and patience. Wemby's going to have a very long career... They got to be patient.” [24:52]

7. Key X-Factor: Defensive Identity

• Weiss identifies the “swing factor” as finding a true defensive tone-setter, especially as Vassell’s health and consistency remain in question. [26:47]
• If Devin Vassell can be a reliable, athletic two-way wing, Spurs’ starting five will be “complete.” [27:50]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On building around Wemby:

  “He’s so big and so talented and smart that even as a mediocre version of Wemby, he’s already like a top 10 player in the NBA.” – Jared Weiss, [05:03]

• On Wemby’s Jokic-like path:

  “Can Wemby find his touch and his creativity and his patience? I think we’re going to see at least a pretty good step forward with that. That’s how you see him ending up—you might average, like, 28 and six assists this year. Like, it could be pretty impressive right away.” – Jared Weiss, [13:30]

• On the Spurs’ offensive shift:

  “[They’re] going to have to be a higher pressure defense... If you got Wemby back there, it’s like, why not take more risks at the point of attack?” – Jared Weiss, [18:15]

• On patience and roster building:

  “They got the golden ticket. They got Wemby. They got a number two overall pick in Harper. They hit a home run with Castle last year. Like, they've got time and patience.” – Jared Weiss, [24:52]

• On realistic expectation:

  “45 wins, seven seed... I just don’t see them getting out of the first round at this point... There’s just too much competition.” – Jared Weiss, [29:04]

• On Victor’s uniqueness:

  “Whatever the hell Wemby is. I don’t even know how to describe him—just, like, a unicorn, a unicorn’s unicorn.” – Jared Weiss, [16:26] “Wemby literally laid it out for us. He’s an alien, right? If you have an alien, what are you going to do with this alien?” – Host, [28:30]

Key Timestamps

• 02:31 – Spurs’ offseason recap & priorities
• 05:03 – Wembanyama's astonishing base level and future leap
• 07:12 – Stephon Castle & Vassell’s roles
• 09:08 – Spurs last season’s struggles (pace, youth not translating)
• 10:37 – How Wemby can unlock the offense
• 13:30 – How Wemby can evolve, especially with shooting and patience
• 15:03 – De’Aaron Fox’s importance on both ends
• 18:15 – Team identity: should Spurs be offensive or defensive?
• 22:40 – Depth & potential trade scenario speculation
• 26:47 – Defensive identity as the main swing factor
• 29:04 – Final win prediction and likely playoff path

Conclusion / Prognosis

• The Spurs are poised for a giant leap if Wemby ascends as expected. Whether he belongs in the MVP conversation will come down to how he balances his unique physical gifts with a maturing, patient offensive approach.
• The team’s biggest wildcard is who—outside Wemby—can establish themselves as a defensive mainstay, with Vassell, Castle, and Fox all having chances to step up.
• Projected finish: 45 wins, 7th seed, likely first-round exit, but with a future as one of the league’s most “pliable and unpredictable” young cores.
• Final thought: The Spurs’ true breakthrough likely lies just ahead, with their time-honored patience and a generational alien at the heart of it all.