WEBVTT - Matthew Tynan on the resurgent Spurs 0:00:09.840 --> 0:00:12.480 On this episode of the Heat Check, it's interview time. 0:00:13.080 --> 0:00:16.440 I am super excited to check in with my guy, 0:00:16.560 --> 0:00:20.200 Matt Tynan, formerly of The Athletic Bleacher Report. He covers 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:24.520 the Spurs on his substack better than anybody else. 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:28.200 It's called corporate knowledge. But we're gonna do a deep 0:00:28.240 --> 0:00:29.480 dive on all things Spurs. 0:00:29.480 --> 0:00:31.960 So anything my man drop that motherfucking beat that should 0:00:31.960 --> 0:00:41.800 be Rihanna. 0:00:46.440 --> 0:00:49.479 So let's just intro you then real quick, welcome to 0:00:49.479 --> 0:00:50.720 the show. Matt Kynan. 0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:53.880 Matt, as you just said, covered the Spurs for a 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:57.000 very long time, covered the NBA as a whole, from 0:00:57.120 --> 0:01:00.720 everyone on the Athletic to Bleacher Report to Real to 0:01:01.000 --> 0:01:01.600 sp Nation. 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:05.720 I think Matt has the best sub stack. 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:08.800 I think has the best content on the Spurs. So 0:01:09.520 --> 0:01:12.399 I will link how you get there, how you pay 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:16.520 this man so he can keep giving us our reporting. 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:19.600 But before we get because I think this team's like 0:01:19.640 --> 0:01:20.160 really fun. 0:01:20.280 --> 0:01:22.880 I think it's like a team people don't really think 0:01:22.920 --> 0:01:26.200 about a lot, and I was. I talked about this, 0:01:26.360 --> 0:01:28.280 I talked about the Spurs on Monday's episode. 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:29.720 You're gonna come out on Friday. 0:01:30.280 --> 0:01:34.639 Just how perplexed and befuddled I was by the Chris 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:37.760 Paul signing, like, oh well, this is like a fun 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:41.679 little story of veteran coming in and now it feels 0:01:41.680 --> 0:01:44.039 like that's paying dividends in the same way that it 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:46.080 did when he went to Oka se or even went 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:49.480 to Phoenix. But before we get into kind of the 0:01:49.520 --> 0:01:54.760 team dynamics, do you have any updates on coach Pop 0:01:54.840 --> 0:01:57.040 and when he'll be back or anything. 0:01:57.960 --> 0:02:01.080 No, we have, Well, first of all, like health wise, 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:05.440 he's doing okay. Everything that we continue to hear is 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:08.200 that he's doing fine. He's just resting. I'm sure there 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:12.480 is a lot to you know, moll over from him, 0:02:12.639 --> 0:02:15.120 you know, whether it's himself, his family, everything for a 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:18.680 seventy five year old man who just suffered a mild stroke, 0:02:19.280 --> 0:02:21.760 Sure there's a lot that he can step back and 0:02:21.800 --> 0:02:25.639 take a look at. So, but health wise he's doing okay. 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:29.359 He's in constant communication with the team, Like a lot 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:31.639 of the stuff that you see the Spurs doing now 0:02:32.000 --> 0:02:35.320 his stuff that was already installed prior to the season. 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:38.400 But he continues to be in contact with everybody there 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:43.800 as far as his return goes. No idea, like genuinely 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:47.440 no idea. I don't I don't even think that, you know, 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:51.200 the team itself really has an idea of what that 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:55.160 looks like. But they're in good hands because Mitch Johnson 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:58.760 has been an assistant there since twenty nineteen. He knows, 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:02.120 you know, all of these guys really well. He's been 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:05.200 an extension of Pop for a while. He's had pretty 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:10.560 significant responsibility in the game day huddle. He is a 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:14.320 major part of their workout routines, a practice and shoot 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:18.000 arounds and everything, so he is certainly a familiar face 0:03:18.240 --> 0:03:23.040 to have around. Not to mention, Brett Brown is hanging 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:26.320 out on the bench, so they're in good hands while 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:29.760 while Pop is tending to his own needs. 0:03:31.080 --> 0:03:33.639 Well, we wish Pop well. I hope he's back at 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:35.640 some point soon. I think there's been a lot of 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:39.440 people in the past wondering like who the successor may 0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:41.640 or may not be. So I mean, Mitch doing the 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:45.960 job that he's doing. Whenever Pop does decide to hang 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:48.400 his shoes up, it's going to be really interesting to 0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:54.040 see where the team goes. But are you surprised at 0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:57.640 the start of this season for the Spurs because you 0:03:57.720 --> 0:04:02.320 look at this draft class, and I mean outside of 0:04:02.360 --> 0:04:05.000 the Wemby class, I think it's got you know, some 0:04:05.040 --> 0:04:08.760 of the highest anticipation with Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:11.440 and some of the other kids that aren't even talked 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:14.320 about nearly as much who should be like VJ. Edgecombe 0:04:14.400 --> 0:04:18.520 and and I think the Cooper flag and the and 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:24.080 the and the the capture the flag. So I think 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:27.799 a lot of people were, I guess anticipating maybe San 0:04:27.839 --> 0:04:31.800 Antonio keeping a slow burn of a rebuild, like a 0:04:31.920 --> 0:04:35.480 Utah Jazz like rebuild, and that just has not occurred. 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:37.080 And some of the moves that were made, you know, 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:40.760 getting Chris Paul, like I said, kind of befuddling to me. 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:44.760 And now a team that's game over five hundred or 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:47.240 we won't know what the record is by the time 0:04:47.320 --> 0:04:51.040 this airs. It it is a little delightful to see 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:52.080 what they're turning into. 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:56.200 Yeah, it's once they drafted wem Bin Yama. The thing 0:04:56.200 --> 0:04:58.600 that I was told by people in that building was like, 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:01.880 it's one year to figure this thing out and then 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:05.560 it's like pedal to the medal. Maybe not pedal to 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:07.440 the medal, because it's not like they went out and 0:05:08.000 --> 0:05:11.960 tried to trade for whoever. Laurie markin and while his 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:14.320 contract stuff was up in the air over the summer 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:17.560 or what you know, they just wanted a year to 0:05:17.600 --> 0:05:21.360 figure out Victor, figure out his body, how he worked 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:25.240 as a basketball player in an NBA environment. This team 0:05:25.360 --> 0:05:27.440 was the youngest team in the league last year, so 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:30.919 there is obviously it's not just Victor that they needed 0:05:30.920 --> 0:05:34.400 to figure out. They wanted to understand better how the 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:36.640 guys who have been in place for a few years 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:40.640 now would fit around him. So I think one of 0:05:40.640 --> 0:05:44.680 the things that you heard most last season was that 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:47.920 they just even from Victor, who is a super honest 0:05:48.080 --> 0:05:51.400 and objective thinker, and he speaks his mind. All of 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:53.839 this stuff is really refreshing. But he talked a lot 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:57.960 about the fact that they lacked veteran leadership and experience. 0:05:58.000 --> 0:06:00.479 There were a lot of games that they lost, you know, 0:06:00.480 --> 0:06:02.719 where they lost a lead or if they came back 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:05.960 in a game, they couldn't quite get over the last hump. 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:07.159 So like, what do they do. 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:10.120 They go out and they signed Chris Paul and trade 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:13.000 for Harrison Barnes and who, by the way, just one 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:15.719 Player of the Week in the Western Conference, which is 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:19.560 wild not something I ever thought i'd see this year, 0:06:20.440 --> 0:06:25.760 but so far, like their plan has come to fruition, 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:28.039 Like everything they had hoped had come to fruition. They 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:31.359 didn't bring Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes in necessarily to 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:34.679 like pursue a championship right now. They know that they're 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:38.480 still a ways off from that, but they just needed 0:06:38.520 --> 0:06:41.120 someone to set a tone, whether it was in the 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:44.400 locker room and practice on the court at the end 0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:47.320 of games. They've been a good second half basketball team 0:06:47.360 --> 0:06:49.800 this year, which has not been the case the last 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:54.120 few years. They look calm and organized under pressure late 0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:57.640 in close games. It's like these little things that they 0:06:57.680 --> 0:07:00.960 weren't doing last year they're doing this year. And all 0:07:01.040 --> 0:07:05.720 of the guys, aside from their own maturity and development 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:08.799 and everything, are attributing so much of that to Chris 0:07:08.839 --> 0:07:11.760 Paul and Harrison Barnes. So so far, their decision to 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:15.280 go after those guys is paying off in a big way. 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:18.560 And like you said, you're a little surprised, I'm a 0:07:18.560 --> 0:07:22.360 little bit surprised they being nine to eight at this point. 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:26.240 They've had a difficult schedule. They've only played one Eastern 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:30.320 Conference team, so to be where they are right now 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:34.200 and winning games that they would not have won last 0:07:34.240 --> 0:07:37.440 year Flat Lee. They they're taking care of teams under 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:40.640 five hundred, they're taking care of teams that are on rest, 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:42.720 disadvantages like on the second night of a back to 0:07:42.760 --> 0:07:46.280 back or whatever. They're winning at home. So, like all 0:07:46.320 --> 0:07:49.880 of these things that competent teams do, they're doing. So 0:07:50.080 --> 0:07:54.840 whatever magic they you know, whatever magic wand they waved 0:07:54.880 --> 0:07:57.640 over the offseason has so far been working pretty well. 0:07:58.760 --> 0:08:02.800 And they're not playing Jeremy Sohan at point guard anymore. 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:04.080 That's the other thing. 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:08.640 They replaced Jeremy Sohan with one of the greatest point 0:08:08.640 --> 0:08:09.440 guards of all time. 0:08:09.520 --> 0:08:10.400 Yes, that's true. 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:13.640 What do you think about Steph Castle? 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:17.240 Because I thought I thought he should have probably been 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:20.280 in a draft class where we weren't really. 0:08:20.000 --> 0:08:21.040 Sure about anyone. 0:08:21.680 --> 0:08:24.320 I thought there was a legitimate case to be made 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:28.160 for Steph Castle to go number one or number two, 0:08:28.200 --> 0:08:29.160 depending on who. 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:30.640 Who got you know, that pick. 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:34.040 Obviously with Atlanta and Trey Young, you probably weren't gonna 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:38.119 do that. But I think he's kind of showing everyone, 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:42.240 you know, why that would be. What do you what 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:44.600 are you seeing so far from him? Because he just 0:08:44.679 --> 0:08:47.480 put Steph Curry in in ad seg He put him 0:08:47.480 --> 0:08:49.000 in solitary confinement. 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:52.400 He was inside of his jersey the other night, making 0:08:52.440 --> 0:08:53.920 his life a living hell. 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:58.400 Yeah, yeah, he's I think that one of the concerns 0:08:58.400 --> 0:09:01.520 obviously was his shot come out of school if he 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:05.440 was you know, right now currently or at least since 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:08.520 he's been inserted into the starting lineup. He's shooting like 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:12.320 thirty seven point five percent from three, which is a 0:09:12.400 --> 0:09:14.840 really good number for a guy that you were concerned 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:17.600 about coming out of school. If he had a better 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:20.760 shot at Yukon, Like, I think there was a legitimate 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:23.480 chance that he could have gone number one if he 0:09:23.640 --> 0:09:27.319 had a more defined position. I think there was a 0:09:27.440 --> 0:09:29.600 legitimate shot he could have gone number one. But he 0:09:29.760 --> 0:09:33.200 didn't have those things. And at the same time, he 0:09:33.400 --> 0:09:37.280 was like everything the Spurs have been looking at in 0:09:37.400 --> 0:09:41.480 terms of prospects over the last especially like once they 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:45.120 started the rebuild in Earnest. It's like, these big, versatile, 0:09:46.160 --> 0:09:52.080 multifaceted defenders. We'll figure out the other stuff later. We 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:54.160 don't really care what position you play. 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:54.600 We're not. 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:59.480 We're not concerned with fitting everything together perfectly right now. 0:09:59.520 --> 0:10:02.520 That'll have and as time goes along. So he's been 0:10:03.040 --> 0:10:06.320 like everything they could have asked for and more. He's 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:11.760 first of all, super smart, a very fast learner. You 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:15.160 can see the shot coming along. He can play anywhere 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:17.520 from the point guard to the small forward or to 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:21.480 the three, if not the four. In certain matchups he's 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:25.400 been he's been a revelation in San Antonio. Like, obviously 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:28.199 this is Victor win Benyama's franchise now and he gets 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:31.280 the most attention. But in terms of the biggest story 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:34.560 this year, it's been the immediate impact of Steph Castle. 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:38.400 Greg Popovich even back at Summer League said like, oh no, 0:10:38.600 --> 0:10:41.520 he's gonna play like right away, he's going to play quickly. 0:10:42.080 --> 0:10:44.640 And by the second game of the season he was 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:46.760 playing crunch time minutes and going to. 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:50.120 The line with the game on the line and all 0:10:50.160 --> 0:10:50.720 of this stuff. 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:54.760 So he's just every single game he's doing stuff, he's 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:57.360 improving on certain areas of the game, and it's just 0:10:57.400 --> 0:11:03.079 been really impressive and fun to watch. And he's kind 0:11:03.120 --> 0:11:05.840 of one of these he reminds people a little bit 0:11:05.920 --> 0:11:10.480 of Kawhi and like the good days for the Spurs, 0:11:10.960 --> 0:11:15.000 But the bigger difference is like he's just he loves 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:17.200 talking to people in front, he loves being in front 0:11:17.200 --> 0:11:21.040 of microphones. He's cerebral, like he's just sort of the 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:24.240 entire package so far. And I'm sure that the I 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:26.920 know that the Spurs are absolutely thrilled with what's going 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:27.360 on there. 0:11:28.160 --> 0:11:34.040 How did that evolution take place inside of him? Because 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:38.280 prior to the draft he was telling teams or telling 0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:40.720 the world like listen, I'm a point guard, that's what 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:43.360 I am. And and like you said, he's got so 0:11:43.440 --> 0:11:48.640 much positional versatility and as a player like Chris Paul 0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:51.920 comes in that could definitely rub a young guard the 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:52.440 wrong way. 0:11:52.480 --> 0:11:54.400 But it feels like it hasn't done that at all. 0:11:55.120 --> 0:11:55.880 No, not at all. 0:11:55.920 --> 0:11:58.400 In fact, it's kind of the opposite. Like we know 0:11:58.520 --> 0:12:02.559 the it's been reported ad nauseum over the years that 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:06.320 Chris Paul tends to sort of grind on people, especially 0:12:06.360 --> 0:12:09.319 over time, but like these young guys on this team 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:13.760 have been completely receptive to everything and Chris Paul. Chris 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.600 Paul has said on a number of occasions now that 0:12:17.080 --> 0:12:21.600 he does not stop talking to Stefan Castle. And we've 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:24.839 we've asked uh Steph about that and he said, no, 0:12:25.000 --> 0:12:27.520 I love it, Like this is this is everything that 0:12:27.559 --> 0:12:31.640 I've I've wanted. I have one of the greatest of 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:35.640 all times of all time, like teaching me right now, 0:12:35.720 --> 0:12:38.439 and so he's been incredibly receptive to that. And then 0:12:38.480 --> 0:12:41.480 I think like when you watch the Spurs play, like, yes, 0:12:41.679 --> 0:12:44.880 Chris Paul when he's in the game, he's controlling the game, 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:47.240 but he's not doing it the way he used to. 0:12:47.360 --> 0:12:50.600 You know, where he is like super duper high usage, 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:54.000 Like this is Chris Paul's offense. He's sort of blended 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:56.520 into how the Spurs like to play, which is which 0:12:56.559 --> 0:12:59.320 is everyone's gonna have the ball in their hands at 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:04.319 some point, and they are major proponents of like if 0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:10.840 you found go we've seen playing like Trade Jones kind 0:13:10.880 --> 0:13:14.120 of everyone in their in their system right now has 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:17.679 been interchangeable, and I think Steph at a certain point 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:19.920 was like, oh, I'm gonna have plenty of opportunity to 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:24.720 initiate offense here, whether that's as the lead initiator or 0:13:24.760 --> 0:13:27.760 in like secondary actions or even out of the short 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:30.000 pick and roll like he's able to. He has the 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:32.560 ball in his hands a lot, and I think it'll 0:13:32.600 --> 0:13:36.200 be interesting to see how it does look when everyone 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:40.840 is back and fully healthy, like Devin Vessel, like Jeremy Sohan, 0:13:41.040 --> 0:13:43.880 you know, it's going to be a really interesting dynamic 0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:46.880 just in general. But like so far, because I remember 0:13:46.920 --> 0:13:48.640 when he said that over the summer and I thought, 0:13:48.960 --> 0:13:51.280 this is gonna be's It'll be interesting to see how 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:51.960 this works out. 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:53.720 But so far it's been. 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:57.599 It's been great, and Steph has been super happy with 0:13:57.640 --> 0:13:58.600 the way things are going. 0:13:59.840 --> 0:14:02.240 He said, it's obviously Wemby's team. 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:06.880 Yeah, And what I've been really pleased to see or 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:11.360 intrigued to see is like the Wemby three point attempts 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:15.199 are just through the roof and a lot of people 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:18.200 were giving you know him a lot of shit online 0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:22.040 really because the three point percentage had someone had taken 0:14:22.040 --> 0:14:24.120 a dive early on in the season. Things have kind 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:28.720 of come to a level now obviously a monster defensively 0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:32.240 leading the league in blocks, Like what are you seeing 0:14:33.440 --> 0:14:36.480 from Wemby that we don't see? 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:37.920 You know? 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:41.520 The conversation about you know, him being around the basket 0:14:41.600 --> 0:14:43.400 or him being at the three point line is not 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.520 just something that's like shit on nationally on the internet, 0:14:46.600 --> 0:14:51.760 Like it's something that fans here locally have been consistently 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:55.120 wondering about. It's something those of us in the media 0:14:55.160 --> 0:14:58.000 have been wondering about because you look at his shot profile, 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:00.600 and I haven't actually looked at it in a few days, 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:05.680 but like his his field goal attempts are like basically 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:09.280 split down the middle fifty to fifty two pointers and 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:12.600 three point attempts. So like, this dude is really has 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:15.640 the green light to shoot from you know, whenever he 0:15:15.680 --> 0:15:20.160 has what they call a you know, a good opportunity. 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:22.720 They don't want him to just be jacking stuff up 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:24.880 all over the place. They want it to be a 0:15:24.920 --> 0:15:27.920 good shot, which for him looks a lot different than 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:30.840 most people because that dude, whenever he releases the ball, 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:34.640 nobody is nobody can can test him, even if they're 0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:36.520 right in front of him, because of how tall he is. 0:15:36.560 --> 0:15:39.840 So is he's always got clear eyesight to the rim. 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:44.880 But one of the like really interesting dynamics that we 0:15:45.080 --> 0:15:46.800 haven't had a chance to see in a while that 0:15:46.840 --> 0:15:48.720 we were starting to get a glimpse of, and I 0:15:48.720 --> 0:15:50.800 think this is funny going back to the Sohon point 0:15:50.800 --> 0:15:56.760 guard conversation, is early returns were sort of showing that 0:15:57.040 --> 0:16:02.720 the Spurs were basically playing sohn as like the five 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:07.200 on offense, and Victor was basically playing a perimeter position. 0:16:07.560 --> 0:16:09.720 So it was like this inverse looking thing of what 0:16:09.760 --> 0:16:12.960 it should be. But it was working really well. Victor 0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:16.840 just wasn't hitting his shots. Now he is another interesting 0:16:17.360 --> 0:16:21.320 thing to kind of go back on earlier this season, 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:24.160 Greg Popovic, I think it was their last they play 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:27.560 we're recording tuesday. They play in Utah tonight. I think 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:29.600 it was their last game in Utah this season. It'll 0:16:29.640 --> 0:16:32.560 be the fourth time they played Utah already this year. 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:34.160 By so ridiculous. 0:16:34.240 --> 0:16:38.640 But they hate that, by the way, like these baseball 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:40.880 things like I'm like, wait, you just played them twice. 0:16:41.840 --> 0:16:42.960 What game is which? 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:44.760 Right? Right? 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:47.040 So we're just we're just wiping it all out right now, 0:16:47.120 --> 0:16:50.160 never to see him again the rest of the year. Yeah, 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:54.920 but Greg Popovic even said they view Victor Wimbanyama as 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:57.800 a perimeter player right now. And I think one of 0:16:57.840 --> 0:17:01.360 the the areas you're start arding to see little developments 0:17:01.400 --> 0:17:04.720 in is like he's he's getting opportunities at the elbow 0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:07.200 a little bit more. It's kind of like the Dirk days, right, 0:17:07.240 --> 0:17:09.240 like the Dirt Noovinsky days at the elbow. If he 0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:12.800 can get into those situations and make people pay from 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:15.320 the mid range, it's going to open things up even more. 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:19.800 But I think one of the things that it surprises me, 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:23.520 even when I hear former players talk about how he 0:17:23.600 --> 0:17:26.840 needs to get into the block more, when you watch 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:30.840 him play, he can't get leverage on anybody because he's 0:17:30.880 --> 0:17:34.760 so tall and they stick like these Dylan Brooks types 0:17:34.800 --> 0:17:38.359 on him and these Draymond Greens who can sometimes like 0:17:38.760 --> 0:17:41.920 recently against the Lakers, it was Lebron James like shoving 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:45.359 a forearm into his back over and over, Like he 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:50.240 can't get leverage on these smaller everyone smaller than him 0:17:50.720 --> 0:17:53.760 defenders that that teams stick on him, and so it's 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:57.320 tough for him to get into those those spots. They 0:17:57.359 --> 0:17:59.880 obviously try to run stuff where there are these little 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:02.280 downs and he can come off a screen and catch 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:04.679 it in the lane, uh and get up for easy 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:09.160 shots stuff that they're they're using to get him loose 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:12.640 around the around the basket. But like teams are always 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:15.080 waiting for that, you know. The the last thing they 0:18:15.080 --> 0:18:17.760 want is when Banyama in the paint because it's kind 0:18:17.800 --> 0:18:23.440 of game over. So he's really been developing the out shot. 0:18:23.520 --> 0:18:26.840 They have a ton of confidence in it. It's really 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:30.920 been funny to watch, like Victor Wimbanyama getting a screen 0:18:31.040 --> 0:18:33.600 from Chris Paul and running the pick and roll, I 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:37.160 mean stuff like that. He's he really is unlike anything 0:18:37.200 --> 0:18:40.760 we've ever seen. And as he gets stronger, he'll get 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:44.720 more opportunities inside, I'm sure, But for now they really 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:48.359 do view him and treat him as a perimeter player 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:51.520 who's going to get sort of some set you know, 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:54.400 design plays here and there to get him loose inside. 0:18:54.440 --> 0:18:57.560 But in general this this dude's playing on the outside 0:18:57.640 --> 0:18:59.359 and and the Spurs are just fine with that. 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:03.880 How do you compare how he's being used, how Wemby's 0:19:03.920 --> 0:19:08.960 being used on the perimeter and contrast that with how 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:13.240 OKAC wants to use Chet. Is it as similar as 0:19:13.320 --> 0:19:16.440 kind of the average fan thinks or are there nuances 0:19:16.480 --> 0:19:17.719 that we don't really see? 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:20.440 I mean, I think the one of the bigger differences 0:19:20.480 --> 0:19:24.800 between those two. And like, obviously they have similar capabilities 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:26.639 in terms of, you know, what they're able to do 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:32.280 on offense. But Oklahoma City has Shay Gilders Alexander all 0:19:32.359 --> 0:19:37.119 World MVP candidate handling the ball and you want the 0:19:37.160 --> 0:19:39.240 ball in his hands, and Chet has been a lot 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:41.800 more of a pick and pop type of player, whereas 0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:44.600 it's kind of the inverse with Wen Benyama. He doesn't 0:19:44.680 --> 0:19:48.760 really do a ton of picking and popping. He obviously does, 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:52.000 and having Chris Paul and a Devin Bissell and a 0:19:52.040 --> 0:19:55.359 Steph Castle now to run the two man game with 0:19:55.840 --> 0:19:58.919 has has worked well. But like when you watch a 0:19:58.920 --> 0:20:02.600 Spurs game, just just notice how often he brings the 0:20:02.640 --> 0:20:05.520 ball up the court and takes like step back three 0:20:05.640 --> 0:20:09.240 is off the dribble And I think that's probably the 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:10.200 bigger difference. 0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:12.960 But the biggest difference between what. 0:20:13.040 --> 0:20:16.919 Chet does and what Victor does is that Victor is 0:20:16.960 --> 0:20:19.760 the guy with the ball in his hands more often, 0:20:19.800 --> 0:20:23.440 whereas Chet is sort of the beneficiary of the gravity 0:20:23.760 --> 0:20:28.359 that Shay possesses. I think that would probably be the 0:20:28.359 --> 0:20:30.600 bigger different The biggest difference between the two, if that 0:20:30.640 --> 0:20:31.120 makes sense. 0:20:31.720 --> 0:20:36.679 Is that a function, to you, Matt, of just the 0:20:36.840 --> 0:20:41.080 roster or is that a function of how Wemby sort 0:20:41.119 --> 0:20:43.720 of will demand to play? Like if you had a 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:46.800 I know it's a lot to ask, but say you 0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:51.360 had a Shade Gilgess Alexander type player in San Antonio, 0:20:51.440 --> 0:20:54.280 would would it still operate the same way that it 0:20:54.320 --> 0:20:54.800 does now. 0:20:55.400 --> 0:20:58.639 I mean, it's a it's a great question. I still 0:20:58.680 --> 0:21:01.320 I still think that because of like, even when you 0:21:01.359 --> 0:21:04.000 go back for you know, several years and look at 0:21:04.560 --> 0:21:08.239 Victor Wembanyama's tape and look how he's played for a 0:21:08.280 --> 0:21:11.560 while now, where he is like the guy he has 0:21:11.640 --> 0:21:16.159 the ball in his hands, it I would still venture 0:21:16.200 --> 0:21:18.119 even if he had a Shay on his team, I 0:21:18.160 --> 0:21:22.159 would still think that he would probably have more on 0:21:22.400 --> 0:21:25.760 ball reps than than Chet would, just because we've seen 0:21:25.800 --> 0:21:30.400 it already. But but it's a great question. Uh, it's 0:21:30.520 --> 0:21:33.560 when you when you when you don't have a guy 0:21:33.640 --> 0:21:35.720 like Shay, Gilgess Alexander, it's a hell of a lot 0:21:35.800 --> 0:21:38.159 easier to be like, you know what he's the like 0:21:38.680 --> 0:21:40.040 when Binyama is developing. 0:21:40.080 --> 0:21:41.520 Now, let's put the ball in his hands. 0:21:41.600 --> 0:21:45.359 Let's get him accustomed to this job and what it 0:21:45.600 --> 0:21:48.320 entails and everything that he's gonna have to do going forward. 0:21:49.160 --> 0:21:51.679 But I still do think that even if he had 0:21:51.800 --> 0:21:55.920 someone like that, that there would still be it wouldn't 0:21:55.960 --> 0:21:58.639 be like apples to apples between he and Chet. I 0:21:58.680 --> 0:22:01.080 still think that he would be like I don't know, 0:22:01.119 --> 0:22:04.160 if you wanted to, if you wanted to make the Okay, 0:22:04.160 --> 0:22:07.560 see analogy, maybe he is like the Jalen Williams or 0:22:07.600 --> 0:22:10.760 something on that team, if that makes sense. Obviously I'm 0:22:10.760 --> 0:22:13.760