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The rebuilding process has been accelerated to the next level for the San Antonio Spurs following the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery. They just acquired the fourth and the eighth pick for the upcoming draft and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins thinks Gregg Popovich is getting ready to coach the Spurs into glory once more.
At 73 years old, Coach Pop is the oldest head coach in the league. He is also the longest-tenured one, being at the helm in San Antonio since 1996. Pop has done it all as a head coach, from being a 17-win team in the 1996-97 season to becoming a five-time NBA champ.
Currently, the team is rebuilding, but after they got the fourth and eighth pick in this year's draft, Perkins had some thoughts for the league's oldest head coach.
"Right now, Gregg Popovich is drinking his Pediasure. He’s going to be 76 years old next year," Perkins said. "You don’t think he wanna have a good run in the postseason with Victor? Well, he needs the pieces around him."
The Spurs already have a clear direction following the meteoric rise of Victor Wembanyama. However, he can't do it all for the franchise. If Gregg Popovich wants the team to get back to their winning ways, they need the right pieces around Wemby.
The team had a 10.5% chance to land the number one overall pick. Had things panned out that way, it would have been the franchise's second straight No. 1 pick in a row and their fourth in franchise history.
Having two lottery picks is a step in the right direction for a coach with a history of getting the most out of his young players.
The Spurs have missed the playoffs in each of the last five seasons
The last time that Gregg Popovich coached in the postseason was in 2019. Since then, his team has not been back in the playoffs. A five-year drought is quite lengthy for any team. For fans of the San Antonio Spurs, it could feel longer considering the fact that they made the postseason every single year since 1998.
Things have not been the same since Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker moved on. Fans thought the future was secure with Kawhi Leonard, but his partnership with the team ended bitterly.
Now, with Victor Wembanyama taking over the reins and with some more talent hopefully on the way through the team's two lottery picks, it might not be long before fans see the Spurs get back to being a constant threat to make the postseason.
However, the question in many people's minds right now might be just how much longer Gregg Popovich will be around to run things.
