Last season, the San Antonio Spurs had some struggles when it came to getting Victor Wembanyama the ball.
The then-rookie is 7-foot-4 and can get above the rim with the best of them, but the Spurs, for a major chunk of the season, did not pair Wembanyama with a point guard.
To rectify that, the Silver and Black signed Chris Paul to a one-year deal this summer. Paul is one of the greatest point guards of all time and has spent his career throwing alley-oops to DeAndre Jordan, Tyson Chandler, Blake Griffin, Deandre Ayton, and Clint Capela.
Wembanyama is the most tantalizing lob threat Paul has ever had, and the duo linked up for the first of many alley-oops in the preseason.
After that Oct. 9 preseason game, Wembanyama sang Paul’s praises as a passer.
“If there’s one guy in this league who can throw them, it’s probably him,” said the French center.
With all that in mind, fans can take their chances with the sportsbooks and try to make some money on the high-flying duo.
FanDuel offers +1700 odds that the first basket of the Spurs’ opener game on Thursday night will be a dunk by Wembanyama. With the Spurs all but guaranteed to win the opening tipoff, Wembanyama and Paul might be looking to send a message.
“We want to perform,” said Wembanyama on Oct. 21. “First minute, first play of the game.”
If the specific nature of the first basket makes the odds too steep, FanDuel offers +390 odds that the first basket of the game will be scored by Wembanyama.
Even if it doesn’t happen to start the game, fans should tune in to see what kind of above-the-rim acrobatics Wembanyama unleashes on both ends of the floor to start his second season.
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