The San Antonio Spurs in The Wemby Era

[BobbyColtrane]

Introduction

Greetings! After a few years of not playing MyLeague, I’m back to start another chapter in the story of the San Antonio Spurs. In 2K19 and 2K20, I had Spurs franchises where I played for a few seasons, trying to guide the team back to relevance after the Kawhi Leonard debacle. Now I'm back, picking up at a different point in time and trying to rebuild my beloved Spurs to get back to their former glory.

What sets this franchise apart from the others is that I play every minute of every game – no simming whatsoever. This approach leads to some interesting situations – I try to use blowout games to work on new plays or strategies, as well as getting playing time in for guys at the end of the bench. By the time the playoffs come, the tension is incredibly high just because of all the time I've invested in the team. In most threads, its great when you get knocked out of the playoffs, you go straight to the draft and free agency, etc. But when you've played 82 games and you're down 3-1 in the second round, with over a hundred hours invested in the season, you're pretty nervous going into that game!

Why the Spurs?

That's the easiest answer of all. I grew up in San Antonio, going to games as early as '85, suffering through the knockouts of the David Robinson era before breaking through with Duncan and then becoming the model NBA franchise. It’s been an incredible ride, and I'm still a huge Spurs fan. I live in Dallas now, but I watch every game on League Pass. I've been to a number of Finals games over the years starting in '99, tons of playoff games, and countless regular season games. I only ever play 2K as the Spurs, which influences what I think of the game haha.

This thread will be my attempt to put my own spin on building the team in the Wembanyama era. I want to win as many titles and awards as I can with him, while maintaining some sense of realism.

Why 2k24?

Why not play 2K25? Well, a couple reasons. One, the mod scene is fantastic on PC and I have a roster with tons of different alternate jerseys. I just recently finished a collection of classic courts as well to pair with the jerseys. This will be my own NBA sandbox, using all kinds of alternate jerseys and courts, trying to get better at 2K, playing some fun games, and diving into all the features and strategies MyLeague has to offer. I know 2K25 introduced the new gen graphics, but I care a lot more about the quality of play, mods, and lack of bugs provided on the previous version. And lastly, I liked the idea of playing Wembanyama’s career, with me responsible for every stat he gets.

Outlook

This first season will be about establishing Wemby, hopefully winning Rookie of the Year, and building the team for future contention. I’m going to take some artistic license with trades and build the team according to my vision. I will use 30-team control to keep the league and the rosters close to real life. I will try to mix in some of my own commentary and stories about fandom that I have acquired after 40 years of watching this franchise. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the story.

[BobbyColtrane]

Platform: PC/Steam version
Difficulty: PopBoy’s 2K24 last gen sliders
Season Length: 82 games
Quarter Length: 12 minutes
ACE: OFF
Roster: As I mentioned, I used this roster from 2K Specialist’s site. I made a few adjustments to signature styles and added a number of retro courts to match the jerseys. I plan to make the trades that have been made since then, but I reserve the right to exercise a little artistic license.
30 Team Control: ON, so I can keep trades/signings/drafts as realistic as possible

[BobbyColtrane]

Spurs receive: Delon Wright
Wizards receive: Doug McDermott, 2024 LA Lakers 2nd round pick

Spurs receive: Gordon Hayward
Hornets receive: David Duke Jr, 2026 POR 2nd round pick

San Antonio closed out their offseason by adding two veterans to the roster for cheap. In Delon Wright, the Spurs acquired a veteran point guard that can keep the offense organized, play heady defense and get Wemby the ball in his spots. Wright was going to be an afterthought in Washington, and the Wizards obtain a 2nd rounder for their trouble from the Lakers as they continue their rebuild.

That trade also opened up another $5 million in cap room for San Antonio, which allowed them to absorb Gordon Hayward’s $31.5 million contract while sending out just $2 million in salary, in the form of David Duke Jr. The Spurs also included a 2026 Portland 2nd rounder. For the Hornets, they cleared more than $29 million off their payroll for this season and acquired a trade exception that may be useful to facilitate trades at the deadline.

San Antonio now has a pair of veterans that can provide stability during Wemby’s rookie year and perhaps beyond. Hayward’s next contract is expected to fall well below his current $31 million. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich has a long history of squeezing every last bit of production out of veterans as they near retirement. Perhaps Hayward could sign a longer term deal next summer that would keep him as a vet rotation piece over the next 3-4 years.

[BobbyColtrane]

Victor Wembanyama enters the NBA as the most hyped teenager since LeBron James. The world got a preview of what is to come last Fall in Vegas, with Wemby matching up against #3 overall pick Scoot Henderson’s G-League Ignite. The French phenom scored 37 points including 7 three pointers. Wembanyama is a 7-4 giant who can handle the ball like a perimeter player, with fluid shooting mechanics and game-changing defensive ability. He can face up from 18 feet, shoot the three, protect the rim and play credible perimeter defense. If Wembanyama stays healthy, then the sky’s the limit for him and the Spurs.

After going just 22-60 last season, the Spurs prioritized bringing in veterans to help Wemby get acclimated to the NBA while maintaining roster flexibility. As the offseason drew to a close, San Antonio acquired Gordon Hayward from Charlotte in a cost cutting move and Delon Wright from the Washington Wizards. Both are expected to begin the year in the starting lineup, providing much needed spacing, playmaking and poise.

Devin Vassell enters the season as Wemby’s best teammate, and the Spurs’ best perimeter player. In 71 games last season, Vassell scored 18.5 points per game while shooting a career-best 38.7% from three. Expect the volume and accuracy to go up on his three point shooting to increase with all the attention drawn by the 7’4” Frenchman.

Keldon Johnson led the team in scoring last season at 22 points per game. The 5th year pro from Kentucky is the longest-tenured Spur, but may find his role reduced with some of the team’s veteran additions, most notably Gordon Hayward.

Jeremy Sochan had a strong rookie season, averaging 11 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Sochan’s defensive versatility has the potential to be incredibly impactful with better rim protection behind him. A known agitator, expect Sochan to mix it up with opposing players on a nightly basis.

Another legendary big man joins the Spurs

Aside from Wemby, this season will be noteworthy for one another reason - the return of Tim Duncan as an Assistant Coach for the Spurs. Duncan last served as an assistant under Gregg Popovich in the 2019-20 season. With the addition of Wemby, Duncan will provide guidance and mentorship as the young phenom begins his career. There has been speculation that Duncan may take the reigns as Head Coach when Gregg Popovich is finally ready to ride off into the sunset.

[BobbyColtrane]

109 99


Spurs fall to Mavs in season opener

SAN ANTONIO– On a historic night, Victor Wembanyama made his debut as the future of the Spurs, but Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks emerged victorious, 109-99. Doncic finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists for the Mavs. Kyrie Irving chipped in 24 points and 8 assists.

“It was good to get out there after all the build up,” Wembanyama said after the game. “Now the real work can begin.”

The Mavs were up 9 early before the Spurs clawed back to take a 1-point halftime lead. Early in the game, Devin Vassell (22 points) and Keldon Johnson (21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) kept the Spurs afloat, but Luka Doncic proved to be too much down the stretch. Entering his sixth season, Doncic is considered among the favorites to win the MVP this season.

“He is an incredible shot maker,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after the game. “One of the best the game has ever seen.”

Up Next: The Spurs have tomorrow off before hosting the Houston Rockets on Friday.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Devin Vassell puts Grant Williams on skates and hits the stepback 2

Dallas Mavericks (1-0) at San Antonio Spurs (0-1)
Oct 25, 2023 1 2 3 4 Final Dallas 36 18 34 21 109 San Antonio 29 26 27 17 99 Top Performers Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic 26 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST San Antonio Spurs Devin Vassell 22 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST Victor Wembanyama 17 PTS, 12 REB, 3 BLK	Team Stats Comparison DAL SAS FG Made-Att 42-92 46% 37-91 41% 3PT Made-Att 9-31 29% 11-23 48% FT Made-Att 16-20 80% 14-17 82% Rebounds 61 50 Assists 25 23 Turnovers 12 10 Steals 5 8 Blocks 7 7

edit: still trying to figure out how to get the correct-sized window for the Play of the Game. Let me know if you have any ideas/suggestions.

[studbucket]

Glad to see you here. As soon as you posted I was like "that's BobbyColtrane from the 2K modding server on Discord, we both got scammed paying for mods" lol.

To your question, maybe send me a DM (here or on Discord, I'm JTK on that server). I post gifs all the time to my dynasty thread.