It's Time For Victor Wembanyama To Be (Slightly) More Selfish
Victor Wembanyama is now 20 years old.
He just surpassed the 100-block mark for his career, and is leading the league in blocks per game.
Over his past six games, he's averaged 22.8 points while on a 25-minute restriction.
So yeah, A LOT is happening these days for the rookie, except the one thing he aches for the most: Winning.
During Sunday's heartbreaking loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where the Spurs fought back in the final frame, Wembanyama passed the ball to a wide-open Jeremy Sochan underneath the basket.
Instead of making the layup, Sochan took an unnecessary dribble towards Jarrett Allen of all people, and saw himself forced to pass the ball out to the wing, where he targeted Keldon Johnson. The pass was wide, and outside the reach of Johnson, letting a winnable game slip through the cracks once again for the Spurs.
As we're nearing the midway point of the season, one inescapable truth keeps slapping us all in the face, and it's time to put some words on it.
Wembanyama has all the right intentions going into games in terms of being the best teammate possible, but he must understand that, more often than not, he is the team's best option.
Wembanyama is not just a willing passer. He enjoys passing. Watch him on every single play where he helps set something up for a teammate. It's celebrated. It's prideful. He's smiling, pointing, and obviously feeling good about connecting with a teammate in some capacity.
It comes as no surprise, then, that he's more than happy to accommodate open teammates, like Sochan, with the expectation that the receiving player knows what to do with the rock.
On a team with so many young players as the Spurs, however, many of those passes turn fruitless. His teammates, in turn, often fail to spot him in transition, or when he's making himself wide in the post.
As you might guess, that's the recipe for a negativity cocktail.
And yes, sometimes Wembanyama takes a sip when things pile up, and everything seems to go wrong for them.
But for the most part, it appears the Frenchman is right back at it again the next game, willingly passing the ball around, trying his best to keep his teammates happy, and involved.
That, dear readers, is the mark of leadership. And as is often the case with good leaders, the last thing they learn is when to be assertive themselves.
Unfortunately for Wembanyama, that lesson isn't one he has a lot time for. That lesson must be accelerated, and begin to be implemented, this very season.
The Spurs might not be in a rush to win games, as they're clearly coveting a spot in the high lottery (a spot that seems less appealing by the day), but they are in strong need of two other things:
To keep Wembanyama motivated during what will ultimately be a horrendous losing season.
And to keep his development front and center.
Teammates not finding him in obvious scoring positions, or teammates failing to take uncontested layups, both work against those two missions.
Therefore, it's time for head coach Gregg Popovich to encourage his franchise player to take more ownership of the offense, and to things more off his own accord.
The fact is, Popovich can already trust Wembanyama's mind. He's unselfish by nature, and an increase in shot attempts isn't going to change who he is.
The 7-foot-4 big man will still look for Devin Vassell in transition, or after offensive rebounds. He'll still seek Keldon Johnson cuts from the baseline, and he'll still pass the ball to Sochan for open triples.
Wembanyama isn't going to turn into Dion Waiters anytime soon, as he understands time and score, and will instinctively know when he's overshooting.
And, the current stretch of production might just be the way Popovich makes the argument.
As Wembanyama is on a minutes restriction, he's played like a man on a mission. He knows he has between 24-26 minutes to play, and he looks determined to make the most of it. He's playing harder than ever before, fully recognizing that the Spurs are dramatically better when he's on the floor to contest shots, and initiate the break.
For Popovich, that's the angle for when Wembanyama comes off his minutes restriction.
"What you did in 24 minutes, we need you to do for 32."
It's a tall task, but one that would go a long way in his development.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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