Whether it's because the initial expectations are truly far too grand, his initial showing was far too underwhelming, or because the league is still too far away from the tip-off of the 2023-24 season, the hype around San Antonio Spurs rookie power forward Victor Wembanyama seems to have subsided a little bit in recent weeks.

Of course, San Antonio remains excited, and not just because former star point guard Tony Parker and franchise leader Gregg Popovich were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last night.

As Spurs special advisor Manu Ginobli — a four-time champion who spent his entire NBA career in San Antonio — puts it: “We are all super excited” (per Tom Orsborn of San Antonio Express-News).

“You can see it, you can feel it in the city.”

Ginobli is reasonably cautious to project Wembanyama to be as special as the hype machine around him is building him up to be, saying it's “not a given.” Especially with the Frenchman still in his teens and green around the ears.

Nonetheless, given the rarity of players that have his skillset at his size, the Spurs will have “a great challenge” ahead of them.

“He is a different type of player than we have ever seen before, so it is a great challenge for the organization and also for him to grow together and to make it together,” Ginobili muses. “He is 19, so he is going to have to work a lot, the organization is going to have to work a lot to develop him… But it is a thrill. It is a great problem in some ways to have. So, we are very excited to have him, the same as the community, of course.”