Former No. 1 picks Cade Cunningham, Victor Wembanyama named Players of the Week

On Cade Cunningham’s leadership: “With Cade, he takes the challenge of guarding on the defensive end. He does take the challenge and he takes it seriously. If he sees some guys slipping or slacking, he’ll call them out, not to embarrass them but to challenge the others. That’s what a true leader does. He’s a triple-double machine now. I don’t know what got into him, but he’s getting them easy.” -via YouTube / December 21, 2024

Omari Sankofa II: Cade Cunningham on Ron Holland’s ejection after confronting Jordan Clarkson with fists up: “That’s who Ron is. Ron is a super loyal dude, super tough-minded dude. I could’ve had my eyes closed and guessed who was going to be in the middle of it. That’s just who he is.” -via Bluesky / December 19, 2024

Omari Sankofa II: FINAL: Jazz 126, Pistons 119. They trailed 48-19 after the 1st and couldn’t close the gap. Cade Cunningham finished with 33 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds on 13-23 shooting. -via Bluesky / December 19, 2024

Wembanyama admits his vast array of assets sometimes creates confusion for him, but he credits the Spurs’ video team with helping him slow down the game. Before every game, the video staff loads an iPad full of clips of the various defensive looks the opponent utilized against him in the last matchup. “The real difficulty is adjusting to the defense in real time, the type of coverage,” Wembanyama said. “Because the answers are always there when we watch film afterwards. It’s easy to spot them. But reacting in real time is very difficult.” But thanks to his film study, Wembanyama is starting to recognize all the patterns used against him. Billups explained before Saturday’s game that the only way to defend Wembanyama is with a defensive scheme as varied as his skill set. -via ESPN / December 23, 2024

ON HIS FIRST day of training camp as a rookie in 2023, Victor Wembanyama explained how the San Antonio Spurs could best position him, and the franchise, for success. It was around 90 days after the French phenom was selected No. 1 in the 2023 NBA Draft. Conventional basketball wisdom said the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama should live in the paint and take his shots near the basket. He should screen, rebound and defend. Block shots. Hand off the ball to guards to facilitate offense. That’s what most big men do. But Wembanyama is no ordinary big. He knew it. So the 19-year-old sat with the Spurs staff and they discussed how conventionality would stifle his creativity, and therefore limit the team’s ceiling with him as its centerpiece. “The best way for me to help is to not put me in a box,” Wembanyama told the Spurs ahead of his first NBA season. “[Spurs coach Gregg Popovich] knows it. He learned to know me and I’m learning to know him. We know we are going to make something original, something special.” -via ESPN / December 23, 2024

Instead of continuing his 3-point barrage, Wembanyama moved inside, lighting up Sacramento for 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. None of those five shots came from beyond the arc. Three landed from 7 feet or closer. The performance provided one of the first glimpses this season of Wembanyama learning how — and most importantly — when to deploy his vast skill set. And how ruthlessly effective it can be. After the game, Wembanyama once again cautioned against putting him in a box. “Don’t,” he said. “I won’t fit.” -via ESPN / December 23, 2024