Here are some of the awards Victor Wembanyama has received in the last 12 months: the NBA rookie of the year Trophy, a spot on the All-Rookie Team, a First-team All-Defense selection, three rookie of the month awards and most recently an Olympic silver medal.

They are all nice. They're not enough either.

Wembanyama wants more, much more, and as the San Antonio Spurs star from France enters the second year of his NBA career – after meeting virtually every lofty expectation in his first year – he's not afraid to say he's in bigger ones Dimensions thinks.

“That goes for all my trophies, whether team trophies or even individual trophies,” Wembanyama said. “I love her. I really appreciate them. But I want all my trophies I get now to be building blocks to build something great in the future. You know, a stone alone isn't much. If you accumulate them, you can get a palace.”

Then let the construction process continue.

If San Antonio wants to get back into the playoffs this season, Wembanyama has to be one of the main reasons why. He's still officially listed as 7-foot-3 by the Spurs – he looks at least a few inches taller, although he says he hasn't grown – Wembanyama knows all eyes are on him this season, too when there is probably no one in the NBA who can meet him on an equal level. He was the one unanimously named rookie of the year and the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, a league-best 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game last season had.

He will likely be an All-Star this season. He is already being talked about as an MVP candidate. He is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. There have only been a handful of players who have gained this much respect in their second year in the NBA, and Wembanyama has earned everything people say about him.

“It’s a matter of time,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You know, he’s an incredible talent. He is also very committed. I think we saw this summer at the Olympics, particularly in France, when there were great expectations for this team. And the greatest moments are the ones where he gave his best, including in our last game. I think that was his best game. But you could see a trend in that direction in the last two or three games when they really needed him to improve. That was impressive.”

The Olympic Games in Paris – where Wembanyama carried the basketball gold medal hopes of an entire host nation on his shoulders – was another stage in which he did not disappoint. He averaged 15.8 points and 9.7 rebounds, was named the tournament's FIBA ​​Rising Star, and made the All-Star Five (FIBA's version of an all-tournament team). MVP LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and Dennis Schroder.

Wembanyama saved his best until the end in Paris and scored a goal 26 points in the gold medal game against the US, enough to keep France around, but not enough to overcome that Flood of 3-point shots that Curry makes In the final minutes, the Americans won their fifth consecutive Olympic title.

It was another reminder that Wembanyama is not on the path to stardom. He's already there and the Olympics could be a stepping stone to the next level of glory.

“Victor was great,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who watched Wembanyama in Paris. “He continued to improve throughout the Olympics and was very impressive at the end. But for all the players who have played in FIBA ​​over the years and left in the summer, it is always a plus.”

Wembanyama finds inspiration in all areas of the game. He raves about it Fellow rookie of the year Caitlin Clark, the WNBA star from the Indiana Fever. (“When she was in college … the only college player I was in awe of. I mean men's and women's basketball. She's probably the most impressive,” Wembanyama said.) And he's eager to learn from some decorated veterans who Spurs brought in this summer Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes.

“He works extremely hard,” Paul said of Wembanyama. “His ability to shoot, pass, dribble, do everything, his defense… it takes getting used to. We’re a work in progress.”

As a point guard, Paul's job is to make life easier for Wembanyama on the pitch. That doesn't mean he will go easy on Wembanyama off the pitch. The Spurs had one Table tennis tournament during pre-season and Paul defeated Wembanyama in the semi-final.

Wembanyama didn’t like that. And what he said after that bragging rights event may shed some light on his true mindset heading into his second NBA season. In short, when faced with a challenge a second time, he wants to do it better than the first time.

“Today he is the best. It won’t last,” Wembanyama said after the table tennis showdown. “I don't have much experience in ping pong, but I've improved a lot recently. So it won’t last.”

He also doesn't have much NBA experience. But he has improved. The league knows what's coming. Last year he was hard to protect and now he will be better.

“A successful year would be one where we don’t waste time on last year’s mistakes and immediately implement our improvements,” Wembanyama said. “I think it's going well because when I watch everyone – and I watched everyone over the summer – everyone has been doing super hard work. And it just seems like it’s paying off.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba