The Unique Nature Of Victor Wembanyama
Surprise, surprise. It's another Victor Wembanyama piece. We're witnessing something incredibly special.
Wembanyama is doing things, on the regular, that we as observers are just accustomed to seeing. A 7-foot-5 player doing nutmegs? Euro-stepping from the 3-point line and into a dunk? Blocking a jumper by Andrew Wiggins, which had serious height on it?
It's all absurd.
Through four preseason games, averaging around 21 minutes of playing time, Wembanyama is averaging over 19 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks.
What's even more impressive than his stat line is the fact that his transition to the NBA has been seamless. He's not even remotely timid, doesn't have rookie doubts, and has accurately identified that he has every reason to hold the platform that he does.
Not a lot of rookies enter the league with a mindset that determined, especially players as long and young as Wembanyama, who outside of having to adjust to a different culture, also has to adjust to his own size and place in the NBA.
So let's discuss some of what we've seen, and what we can reasonably expect from the 19-year-old this season.
Defensive impact
Wembanyama is already forcing teams to attack areas of the floor where he isn't placed. That doesn't really matter, however, as he'll cover more ground in single stride as most point guards would in three.
He is an absolute force on the defensive end, and that's even by including his inevitable mental lapses and inexperience dealing with NBA offenses. He'll get broken down off the dribble, find himself in an inopportune position, and still have enough to recover to challenge a shot in earnest.
Rebounding has been an issue, but some of that is due to the fact that he's guarding the perimeter a fair bit, not to mention his own high 3-point rate, which limits his chances at offensive rebounds. Moving forward, though, that is one area the budding star will need to do better in, as to optimize his own frame, and to optimize San Antonio's transition opportunities.
Seriously, have you seen this guy grab a defensive rebound, and put the ball on the floor? Any defender who hasn't crossed half-court by the time he's made his first stride has entirely compromised the defense.
Pending health and minutes, Wembanyama should have an immediate impact on San Antonio's defense, to the point where I think all of us will be surprised to see where they end up by the end of the regular season. Could they finish Top 10 in large part due to having the most switchable and perimeter-comfortable 7-foot-5 player of all-time? I'm not ruling it out.
Offensive creativity
The Spurs have never been known as a team with a brand of creative offense. Even during the Tim Duncan era, it was a fairly basic formula. Feed the post, make the extra pass, set a ton of off-ball screens.
Wembanyama is going to make the Spurs offense unpredictable.
Perimeter isolation with duo-crossovers, leading to step-back triples? Sure. High-octane transitions ending up with lobs thrown too high, which he'll still somehow catch? Absolutely.
Side note: Credit to head coach Gregg Popovich for letting Wembanyama express himself. He understands that in order to optimize the rookie, he needs to embrace a balance of structure and creative freedom.
Wembanyama simply needs to be able to go off-script occasionally, and sometimes that will backfire. But Popovich understands that's part of the process. As long as Wembanyama also executes more stable plays, such as flashing to the free throw line for open jumpers, he'll have space to lean into branches, and the Spurs will be better off because of it.
Results
Look, I'm not going to sit here and say the Spurs will absolutely find themselves in the play-in tournament this season.
....but I'm also saying they won't.
This team has more talent that people seem to realize, maybe in part because very few ever paid attention to Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, and Keldon Johnson.
These guys come in a year old, and a year wider, and now they'll all be able to enjoy flying under the radar with the presence of Wembanyama around.
One theme during preseason has been how all 10 defensive eyes seem to shift towards the rookie when makes a cut towards the lane with or without the ball. His size and coordination forces them to do so, affording teams the time to make the right rotations.
Only, regardless what rotations are being made, having all eyes on one player means there are four players who stand to benefit. Which leads me to this..
Wembanyama can pass the basketball. He can pass it in a simplistic manner, and he can pass it in a creative manner. He's not Jokić, nor will he ever be, but he's got a knack for knowing where his teammates are, and his size allows him great overview of the court, making reads easier, even in a crowd.
Does all of that mean they're guaranteed success? Obviously not. But it doesn't hurt, and the Spurs are surely an organization that puts tremendous stock in being competitive.
So if they find themselves in the play-in, I don't think we should be too surprised.
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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