Spurs monk! The future timeline of Wenban Yama!

In the summer of 2025, Wenban Yama went to Shaolin Temple to become a monk and practice, becoming a veritable monk. Compared with physical training, temple practice usually pays more attention to mental cultivation. As fans, we have no way of knowing the purpose of his practice, but what we can be sure of is that Wenban Yama and the Spurs are already at a critical crossroads.

This French talented big man is about to usher in his third season of his career, with only the last year of his rookie contract. Although he is only 21 years old, judging from the pace of the modern NBA, for young players at this stage, if they are the real core of the team, he will basically start to take responsibility for the team's victory.

Historical superstars such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant have basically begun to attack the championship at the same age, and the next Wenban Yama will naturally be no exception.

It is just that different from the clear development direction of the stars mentioned above, the team is very clear about how to strengthen them and build a championship team. In contrast, the biggest problem between Wenban Yama and the Spurs is that we cannot see exactly which type of player this big man belongs to in the future.

Wenban Yama is over 220 cm tall and has an amazing 243 cm wingspan. What's more terrifying is that he is not just a defensive core. He can not only pass the ball with the ball, but also complete a jump shot with the ball after pick-and-roll. He pulls the middle distance like Durant, and also shoots three-pointers from the outside.

This historically flexible and comprehensiveness is the most troublesome and happiest problem today. We can regard him as an upgraded version of Antetokounmpo, or as a Durant's evolution. Even when he feels stable, he can become a two-meter-high Curry.

With the help of the retired mentor Popovich's words, in his eyes, Wenban Yama is an all-around forward player who can extend from the inside to the outside.

This is a very interesting evaluation. From a certain perspective, this sentence is both a compliment, but it also reveals the embarrassing fact that the player positioning is not yet clear. Looking back at this season, Wenban Yama has developed enough offensive methods, including three-point retreat, mid-range distance on the back, turning back and jump shots, and near-frame throws after breaking through. No matter which scoring method, he can see his offensive potential, but even so, the Spurs seem to be still exploring his cultivation mode.

If we use superstars as templates, the development route of Wenban Yama can be roughly summarized into three types: Antetokounmpo, Durant, or the most extreme template: Stephen Curry.

The three different modes represent three completely different styles of cultivation and tactical forms, implying different levels of risks and dividends. The next choice of the Spurs will directly determine the growth trajectory of Wenban Yama in the next five or even ten years, and will directly affect whether the Spurs can embark on the championship path again.

Durant's route

This is the highest-discussed and most operational development direction. Durant is a super scorer in NBA history. The reason is very simple. He is high enough, accurate enough, and flexible enough. If Vinbanyama chooses Durant's path, the Spurs must fully develop his offensive skills, especially mid-range stability and ball-holding singles.

This season, Wenban Yama averaged 8.9 shots, with a shooting percentage of 47.6%. In contrast, Durant's shooting percentage was 52.7%. Although there is a gap in shooting percentage, compared with the player qualifications and team roles, this can already show the similarities between Vampan Yama's offensive style and Durant.

However, Durant's cultivation route seems gorgeous, but it is not without any hidden dangers. Even though he had won the championship with the Warriors, Durant's ability to lead the team has been questioned. During the Nets and the Suns, Adu repeatedly proved that he was not the kind of super all-round star who carried the team's championship alone. It is precisely because of this that if Wenban Yama chose Durant's route, he would inevitably need another All-Star partner to assist him.

But for another star partner, the biggest challenge is not the team's tactical choice, but the salary issue. This may be the fundamental reason why the Spurs have not made a conclusion on Wenban Yama's future development path.

For such a rare genius in the world, the Spurs' expectations for Vinban Yama are not just a championship journey, they want to continue the 20-year prosperous era of Duncan. Under such a long-term layout, the team must be extra cautious about resource investment. They do not want to bet on chips too early to build a luxurious championship combination around him before he has fully matured. Especially under the current labor and capital agreement, if you want to configure another star player, the subsequent salary pressure will directly affect the flexibility and strengthening space in the next few years.

This also makes the risks brought by the Durant model more obvious. If Vinban Yama, like Durant, needs another star master control to maximize its value, then the Spurs must face the salary problems brought about by building a team around the stars. For example, Durant + Irving + Harden of the Nets back then, or Durant + Booker + Bill of the Suns this year, these cases prove the limitations of this type of superstar combination. Although the potential is amazing, once the team fails, the subsequent teams will have to pay extremely high.

On this basis, if you are unwilling to face these forwards, choosing to let Wenban Yama develop towards a self-sufficiency star route, becoming a superstar who drives offense and defense by one person and dominates the game by a single player is also a choice. This is the second template of Wenban Yama: Antetokounmpo.

"Venban Yama is a great player, but if he focuses on jump shots, I don't think he can really dominate the game. I think he should be an inside dominant and an absolutely high penalty area overlord."

This is O'Neal's previous evaluation of Venban Yama