Mannix says the Spurs big man is just different.
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00:00You mentioned the profile issue for SI, you got the cover story, you worked on Victor Wembenyama,
00:05so what did you learn about Wemby, Chris, in writing that piece that maybe you didn't
00:10already know, and then how much better do you expect him and the Spurs to be this year?
00:14I'll be honest, he might be the most interesting person I've ever talked to,
00:18like not just in sports, ever talked to, like his mind is so multi-tracked and like he uses
00:26everything that he experiences as a way to improve himself, whether it's as a basketball
00:33player, as a person, like we spent the first 20 some odd minutes of our interview talking about
00:39fantasy novels, about Game of Thrones and The Witcher and Berserk, which is apparently a
00:46Japanese type of fantasy novel, and it wasn't just about like, hey, I really enjoy these novels,
00:55like, hey, character X, I learned something from him that I take into my everyday life,
01:01so he's a fascinating human being in general. As a basketball player, I think he's going to take
01:07a massive step forward this year. I believe that Victor Wembenyama will be the defensive
01:14player of the year. I don't think that's a stretch, he was the number two guy last year,
01:18I think this year, if he's healthy, he's going to be a runaway winner for number one. His defense
01:23is just so good, but I think overall, Spurs are competitive. I think you're going to see
01:29Wembenyama in that five to seven range in the MVP balloting. That's how good a year
01:35I think he's going to have. I think Chris Paul as the first, I wanted to give, Trey Jones was a real
01:40point guard, but Chris Paul as the first real point guard to start the season as his playmaker
01:46is going to make an enormous impact on the offensive end. I think Harrison Barnes being
01:50there is another veteran professional shooter that's going to make San Antonio better. I think
01:56they're going to be an improved team, and I think Wembenyama is going to have the kind of
02:00MVP caliber season, that's going to be a huge reason why.