"He knows they're tanking": Richard Jefferson gets real about Gregg Popovich's coaching of Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama is having an amazing rookie season, but it has been overshadowed by the struggles of the San Antonio Spurs as a team. The Spurs have lost 17 straight games, a franchise record, and Richard Jefferson knows that they are tanking.

The Spurs entered Monday's game against the Houston Rockets needing a win to halt making the wrong kind of history. Wembanyama had 15 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks, but it was not enough to prevent San Antonio's 17th straight loss.

On ESPN's "NBA Today," the crew discussed the Spurs' struggles this season. Malika Andrews casually asked if coach Gregg Popovich is hurting Wembanyama's development.

Jefferson, who played in San Antonio for two and a half seasons, thinks that the French star knows the Spurs' plan to tank.

"He knows they're tanking," Jefferson said.

It might be true that the San Antonio Spurs are already tanking in December, but there's no clear-cut number-one prospect next year. Victor Wembanyama was a generational talent many teams coveted last season.

Some of the best talents expected to enter the 2024 NBA draft include Baylor's Ja'Kobe Walter, USC's Isaiah Collier and G League Ignite's Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis. International prospects like Nikola Topic of Serbia and Alex Sarr of France could also be in contention for the first overall pick.

Walter, Holland and Buzelis are skilled wings, while Collier and Topic are guards. Sarr is a 7-foot-1 big who can play forward and center. Maybe the Spurs are trying to get Sarr and pair him with Wembanyama to create a big-man combo that could take the NBA by storm.

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Victor Wembanyama putting up great numbers as a rookie

Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs

Victor Wembanyama is having a great season, averaging 18.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game. Wembanyama has adapted to the pace and physicality of the game and has begun dominating opponents.

However, the San Antonio Spurs' losing effort has overshadowed Wemby's rookie campaign. There's also a big chance that the OKC Thunder's Chet Holmgren could snag the Rookie of the Year award because his team is winning and is near the top of the Western Conference.

The Spurs might have had a better record than 3-19 if they were using a real point guard.

Jeremy Sochan has done alright as a first-time point guard but has been missing Wembanyama at times during possession. Sochan has been a source of frustration for some Spurs fans this season.

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