The 2023-24 season begins in just under two weeks (just over for Spurs fans), and the annual General Manager Survey has been revealed. Not unexpectedly, the Spurs earned just votes for rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama and Hall of Fame head coach Gregg Popovich.

In the “player” category, Wemby finished second with 23% (or 7) of the votes when asked who a team would choose to create a franchise around today. Nikola Jokic came in first, as expected, but it’s interesting to see Wemby ahead of other young, proven players who may still be in their primes, such as Luka Doncic and possibly Jayson Tatum. It’s unclear whether this says more about Wemby or them. (Or it might simply signal that general managers believe the recent return of big men dominating the league will last for a while.)
In the “offseason moves” category, he tied for fourth place with 7% (or 2) of the votes for the player acquisition with the greatest impact, trailing only Damian Lillard (Bucks), Jrue Holiday (Celtics), and Bradley Beal (Suns), but also tied with Kristaps Porzingis (Celtics) and Fred VanVleet.

 

Of course, there’s the “Rookies and International” part, where Wemby truly shines. He received 50% of the vote for Rookie of the Year (followed by Scoot Henderson and Chet Holmgren) and 90% for Rookie Who Will Be the Best Player in Five Years. He did not receive any “international recognition,” such as best international player, but that will most likely change with time, and since the survey includes last year’s winners, here’s a reminder that he was named the best international player not in the NBA a year ago.

Despite his club’s lack of league dominance for long time, Pop continues to receive attention in the “coaches” area. He tied with Steve Kerr for 7% of the vote for greatest NBA coach, trailing just Eric Spoelstra and Tyronn Lue (?). He also finished fourth with 13% of the vote for best manager/motivator and got one vote for greatest in-game tweaks. (As an added bonus, Patty Mills earned a vote to choose which active player will become the best coach someday, which might have come from Brian Wright.)

 

Finally, while the Spurs received no mention in the “miscellaneous” section (random questions such as who should take the final shot), it’s worth noting that they were not on anyone’s mind for questions such as best young core, teams that will make the biggest turnaround, player most likely to have a breakout season, and so on. It will be interesting to see whether they can sway any opinions coming season, particularly among the youthful core. It will be interesting to revisit this next year!