Tony Parker reminds stark contrast between his Spurs vs. current squad
Yesterday at 03:54 PM
As the San Antonio Spurs headed to France, former point guard Tony Parker spent some time with the current Spurs team. He noticed some glaring differences. While the current team is much younger, athletic, and maybe more talented, there’s a clear discrepancy.
He’s not afraid to pull punches. For instance, Parker got 100% real about Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. He’s beyond impressed with the talent. However, there’s something that the French point guard described on the Knuckleheads Podcast that makes San Antonio stand out as an organization.
“I was joking with the young fellas with the Spurs right now, spending time with the young guys,” Parker said. “They just did back-to-back 60-loss seasons. I can only imagine 60 losses in one season, back-to-back. My worst season was 47 wins and half of my career I went to the Conference Finals and I made the playoffs every year.
“So I was telling that to the young guys, and I was putting that in perspective how long, and how good, and for how long. You have a long way to go before you can compare it to us. That gives them motivation, we have a high standard with the Spurs.
Tony Parker knows the Spurs’ standard
If anyone understands the Spurs standard, it’s Parker. He’s won four NBA championships with San Antonio, as well as the 2006-07 NBA Finals MVP. On a team with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, he stood out. The fewest games that Parker won as a member of the Spurs in a single season was 47.
Some teams dream of having that as their win total. But again, San Antonio has a different standard. Although the Big 3 of Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili have been retired for quite some time, they have a new core brewing. Guys like Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Jeremy Sochan show legitimate promise and upside.
However, they haven’t been to the playoffs yet, let alone win meaningful games. For five consecutive seasons, the Spurs haven’t made the playoffs. With balancing mediocrity or committing to a full rebuild, they went with the rebuild. Castle and Wembanyama are lottery picks, with the latter being a No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Last season, the Spurs revealed details for a Parker Hall-of-Fame celebration. Even with the celebration, he remains tapped in and involved with the organization. Furthermore, there’s the French connection between Parker and Wembanyama. That alone has done wonders. At the end of the day, the Spurs have a long way to go to reach where Parker had been for so many seasons.
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