“We’re Going to Be Patient, but…”: Victor Wembanyama Reveals Coach Gregg Popovich’s Approach Towards Spurs’ Rookie to Charles Barkley

Tonoy Sengupta | 01/11/2023
“We’re Going to Be Patient, but…”: Victor Wembanyama Reveals Coach Gregg Popovich’s Approach Towards Spurs’ Rookie to Charles Barkley

When the San Antonio Spurs lost to the LA Clippers by 40 points, countless fans of the franchise were left shaken. In the following game, with Victor Wembanyama and crew down by almost 20 points against the Phoenix Suns, many believed it was more of the same from the franchise. However, what came next left onlookers stunned.

Following big shots by just about everyone on the floor for San Antonio, Coach Gregg Popovich’s boys were only down by one, with mere seconds left on the clock. And to drive things home, Keldon Johnson made an incredible play to cap off the comeback.

After the game, Wembanyama spoke to Charles Barkley and the crew of Inside the NBA about the game. And when the Frenchman was asked to speak on Coach Popovich and his approach to this young team, he said:

“I like to be with a coach that’s honest, and that’s going to get into me and be relentless with me. And I don’t gotta worry about any of these with Coach Pop [Gregg Popovich]. I know he is like that. Right away, on the first day of practice, you know he showed that we’re going to be patient, but we’re not going to lose any time.”

 

Victor Wembanyama is glad Gregg Popovich yelled at him

During the press day of the San Antonio Spurs training camp, Victor Wembanyama sat down with the press to answer a few questions where he revealed that coach Gregg Popovich finally yelled at him. And while it took longer than expected to happen, the Frenchman admitted he was glad it finally did happen.

“I am not gonna name anybody but if you screw up at one point the coach told you specifically not to or to do, it’s everybody on the line, running the full court, or something else, depends on the mood of the coach. Yeah, it came later than I expected but yeah, finally. I’m glad he yelled at me.”

Admittedly, this is a great attitude for Wembanyama to have. It shows that he has come to the NBA with quite a bit of respect for the game and seems to be ready to learn.
In that respect, Charles Barkley admitted recently that he believed Wemby getting to play under Coach Pop is the best thing that could’ve happened to him. The following is what he said.

“I think a lot of players with high expectations get ruined cause they got crap coaches, this dude got one of the best ever to do it in Coach Popovich. I think that’s the best thing he got going for him,” Barkley said.

Barkley further went on to mention Spurs legends Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and Tim Duncan and how Popovich made them better just by yelling at them.

In a place where most other coaches would likely be a bit scared and overthink, Coach Pop has shown he excels. Given that fact, there likely isn’t a limit to how much Victor Wembanyama can improve.

Post Edited By: Pritam Priyedarshi
NBA Phoenix Suns San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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