A fans perspective 

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He returns

Luka Doncic returned to this patchwork lineup the Lakers have displayed recently. Luka didn’t shoot particularly well but still almost managed a triple-double. It was 35 points, 13 assists and 9 rebounds for Luka in the 118-116 victory for the Lakers over the Spurs. In my view Deandre Ayton outplayed Wemby scoring 22 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, it was more than the two members of the Lakers, it was a team effort. Rui Hachimura contributed 15 points along with stellar defense, the same could be said for Marcus Smart 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

The Spurs had an opportunity to tie the game with seconds remaining, Julian Champagnie on the line missed his first shot, his second attempt was a miss on purpose to attempt a tip basket. The Lakers managed to corral Wemby who would eventually foul out of the game. JJ Redick seem to push all the right buttons for the team which led to the victory. The Lakers now sit at the top of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, how long they remain in this position is an unknown. The fan in me is a slight bit worried, when LeBron returns to the lineup will he jack up the chemistry which is working so well at this point? Laker Nation can only hope with his vast experience LeBron will see the need to blend rather than orchestrate.

A sense of entitlement

Every single prospect site has Tyran Stokes listed as the top high school basketball player in the nation in the Class of 2026. 5-star prospect Stokes is listed as a 6-foot 7 230 pound small forward, Kansas, Kentucky and Oregon all have offers on the table for him. He is in his senior year of high school at Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks High School. Stokes is/was enrolled in school but there remains a question whether he plays in this his senior year. Without boring you with all the details he is/was facing disciplinary action by his school. According to reports rather than face being punished he decided to drop basketball this year.

We are almost four months into the school year and no decision has been reached by Stokes. This is the point difficult to dissect, there is certainly no desire to castigate him but it might appear to me schools might back off talent or no talent. Chances are Stokes been a highly sought talent for several years, this might lead to a sense of entitlement on his part. At this point it would seem parental guidance should come to the forefront, apparently Stokes is an accomplished basketball player. Despite that fact there are rules and regulations he must adhere the same as his teammate sitting at the end of the bench. The basketball in me says “I’d like to see him at the next level, the parent in me says; “You need to get your act together.”

It’s a green light

The traffic signal certainly now says GO in San Antonio, as an outsider the news was a little confusing. When first proposed this grand plan, which included more than an arena for the Spurs was exciting for some. Later when the nuts & bolts of the proposal were explored the entire project including the arena slowed to a crawl as there was a great deal of citizen debate. At a point even the newly elected mayor of San Antonio appeared to push back on several key issues. The November 4 elections saw voters in Bexar County approve a plan to allow officials to commit up to $311 million in venue taxes to build the arena. County officials indicate 52% of the voters approved the plan.

The Spurs indicate they will add $500 million and would also be paying rent at the new arena, and that money will help offset what is a proposed $489 million contribution from the city. The arena is a part of Project Marvel a massive effort to revitalize a section of downtown San Antonio. Should this arena be constructed it could be given a tag similar to the United Center in Chicago. For years, the Bulls played in the old Chicago Stadium (now demolished) which opened in 1929, after the arrival of Michael Jordan and the Bulls winning championships. The United Center was opened in 1994, it was said at the time that the United Center was “The House that Micheal Jordan built!” Officials in San Antonio might coin a similar nickname be applied to a Spurs arena with Victor Wembanyama in mind.

Could it occur…maybe

Victor Wembanyama, standing 7-foot-5, continues to develop his game as an NBA player. I read an account suggesting that Wemby started the season at a record-breaking pace. There was speculation about him winning several awards, including league MVP, Most Improved Player, and leading the league in blocked shots and rebounds. Based on his early performance as this is written, he could easily dominate in blocked shots and rebounds. But should Wembanyama even be considered for Most Improved Player? His numbers were already strong last season, and now he has raised the bar even higher.

Generally as an example a player raising his scoring average from 6 points a game to 20 is given prime consideration. Just the sake of discussion, let’s keep him in contention for that award. As for the MVP, that’s a tougher call—Wemby could lead in three major statistical categories and still not be named Most Valuable Player. In years past a similar situation has occurred and Player B received the MVP when most thought Player A should have won. Recently I saw a video montage of “almost” blocked shots by Wemby, opposing players were driving toward the basket but stopped short of taking a shot. Simply having Wemby nearby resulted in opponents missing shots, even if they didn't actually take them. That’s the Bill Russell factor, he once said “I can’t block every shot but I can make them think I can” or something similar.