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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The San Antonio Spurs came agonizingly close to a championship last season, with Victor Wembanyama leading the way.
Now they're back with their sights set on finishing the job. But before they can do that, Wembanyama is still carrying the weight of how the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks slipped away.
"I've had a few sleepless nights," Wembanyama told reporters Monday. "But there's just a point where you accept that you have to go through it. You have to feel all of it. And we don't want to hide from anything. We're going to face these emotions. Face the reality that we have 100 games to play. 100 plus, you know. And this is the reality of it. We're in a great spot. We're very hopeful, very ambitious. And we're ready."
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Wembanyama came into the NBA in 2023 as a generational talent. Three years later, he's already lived up to the hype. The 7-foot-4 superstar has already established himself as one of the league's defining players, and at just 22 years old, his best basketball could still be ahead of him.
Last season, Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.1 blocks, and 1.0 steal in just 29.2 minutes per game, while shooting 51.2% from the field and 34.9% from three. He can impact virtually every part of the game, and he already carries himself like a 10-year vet off the court as well.
He saved his best for the Finals too. Wembanyama averaged 26.0 points per game against New York, along with 11.2 rebounds and 3.6 blocks, continuing a historic rise that has already included a Defensive Player of the Year award and first-team All-NBA honors.
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Now the Spurs bring back the core that took them to the Finals, with Wembanyama joined by Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell, while Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson return to anchor the second unit and veteran forward Tobias Harris has been added.
San Antonio was just three wins away from a championship a few months ago. Now its young stars have another year of playoff experience under their belts, and Wembanyama has had another offseason to get even better.
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