Spurs’ biggest offseason gamble is paying off for Victor Wembanyama

The San Antonio Spurs entered the 2025 offseason needing to simplify the game for franchise player Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama is the ultimate cheat code, capable of dominating in truly unique ways on both ends of the floor, but winning in the NBA requires franchises to make things easier for their top stars.

The Spurs' biggest offseason gamble in that regard is already paying off, as Luke Kornet is allowing Victor Wembanyama to pace himself through the regular season.

San Antonio signed Kornet in 2025 to a front-loaded four-year, $40.7 million contract. It was a relatively risky move despite the somewhat low annual salary, as the veteran big man never averaged more than 18.6 minutes per game through his first eight NBA seasons.

Kornet has quickly quieted those concerns by playing an average of 24.6 minutes per game during his first season with the Spurs.

Furthermore, Kornet has started 22 of his 31 appearances with the Spurs after recording a total of 25 starts in 235 games played with the Boston Celtics. By those measures alone, he's far exceeded his previous contributions in the Association.

The true context of what's made Kornet a gamble worth making, however, is that he's taken a significant amount of pressure off of Wembanyama in remarkably short order.

Victor Wembanyama can rest, pace himself thanks to Luke Kornet

Kornet is currently averaging 8.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 offensive boards, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. Those are quite impressive numbers considering he's producing them in the aforementioned 24.6 minutes per contest.

Kornet's averages translate to 12.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.5 offensive boards, 2.9 assists, and 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes—ideal production for a secondary big.

Kornet's elite numbers on the offensive glass have enabled Wembanyama to pick his spots and even increase his own per-36 production from 1.9 to 2.2 between 2024-25 and 2025-26. His passing, meanwhile, has helped open up the offense and simplify the matter of helping a guard-heavy rotation learn to coexist.

Kornet has even provided the Spurs with a secondary shot-blocking option in the rare event that opposing players find their way around Wembanyama.

It's also worth noting that San Antonio is 10-3 when Wembanyama doesn't play but Kornet does. Kornet isn't solely responsible for the team's success without the franchise player, but his presence as a defensive anchor has been essential to that shockingly elite record.

For those who are uncertain about Kornet's value in that regard, he ranks in the 99th percentile in rim protection, the 98th percentile in screener rim defense, and the the 91st percentile in post defense, per Basketball Index.

Considering Kornet's salary will decrease from season to season, the Spurs' gamble on his value in a volume role was nothing short of brilliant. He's allowing Wembanyama to play 4.2 fewer minutes per game than he did a season ago, miss time without rushing to come back, and work the interior with far less pressure on his shoulders.

It may not have been the blockbuster move that fanbases crave, but signing Kornet has gone hand in hand with unlocking both Wembanyama and the Spurs' overall potential.