Skip Bayless Paints Dark Picture for Victor Wembanyama under ‘Egomaniac’ Gregg Popovich: “I was bittersweet last night”

Victor Wembanyama, the 7ft 4′ Frenchman, is one of the most highly anticipated prospects to enter the NBA draft in recent years. As the projected number-one pick for the San Antonio Spurs, he faces a tremendous amount of pressure to live up to expectations. He joins the likes of David Robinson and Tim Duncan as the third player in Spurs history to be drafted as the number one pick.

In addition to the pressure on Wembanyama, sports commentator Skip Bayless has weighed in on the situation, providing his own thoughts on the Spurs’ current state and the potential coaching of Wembanyama by Gregg Popovich.

Skip Bayless believes ‘old school’ Pop will hurt Wembanyama’s growth

Recently, on Undisputed, Skip Bayless shared his thoughts on the Spurs’ head coach, Gregg Popovich. He also spoke about the pressure that Wembanyama will face playing under him. According to Bayless, Popovich is an egomaniac who coaches hard and is old school in his approach. He believes that this clash of personalities could negatively affect Wembanyama’s development.

“I was bittersweet last night in my emotions because I don’t wanna see Pop coach Wembanyama. He seems like such a good kid but he’s a new school kid. His mother’s coached him and Pop is 75! I don’t care about the age, I care about the old, old school.”

Bayless goes on to express his concerns about Popovich coaching Wembanyama, who he describes as a “new school kid” with a different approach to the game. He fears that Popovich’s coaching methods could hinder Wembanyama’s development and stunt his growth as a player.

The controversial host stated that Popovich’s coaching style is verbally abusive and can be a difficult pill for younger players to swallow. He cites the example of Kawhi Leonard, who had a falling out with Popovich during his time with the Spurs.

“The Kawhi thing went sideways, because Pop and Kawhi started to clash. It was predictable. Because Pop is as old school as you can get. He’s ex military, he coaches hard and he’s egomaniacal.”

Bayless believes that Leonard exposed Popovich’s flaws and that younger players may be less willing to tolerate his old-school approach.

“Kawhi exposed Pop for what he was. For the younger generation, who said ‘we’re not gonna do this’… It’s verbally abusive. I have fallen out of love with Gregg Popovich.”

Furthermore, Bayless highlights Popovich’s age as another potential issue. At 75 years old, he believes that Popovich’s coaching style may be out of touch with the current generation of players. Skip does not want to see Wembanyama held back by an outdated approach to coaching.

Bayless not the only one to lose admiration for Coach Popovich

The media personality is not the only one who has expressed concerns about Popovich. Last season, the Spurs traded Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks. He stated that he felt Popovich’s system had held him back from reaching his full potential. In recent times, the Spurs have shown lack of flexibility and creativity. People have attributed this to Gregg Popovich ruling the locker room with an iron fist.

“I think I could have been a lot better player if I was in a different system,” Murray said. “I think I could have been a lot more aggressive. I think I could have been a lot more creative. But I was in a system where I had to play a certain way.”

Dejounte Murray also recently took credit for pushing Wembanyama toward the Spurs.

Victor Wembanyama is a talented player with a bright future ahead of him. However, he will face challenges in San Antonio, including the pressure of being the number one pick. In addition, the expectations of the Spurs’ fans, and the possibility of clashing with Gregg Popovich. Last season, the Spurs traded Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks, who had similar concerns about Popovich’s coaching style. Only time will tell how Wembanyama will handle these challenges.