Spurs: Victor Wembanyama's Rebounding Outlook
One of the biggest concerns surrounding Victor Wembanyama is his rebounding. Despite averaging 10.4 boards per game for Metropolitans 92 last season, there's skepticism around Wembanyama's immediate effectiveness on the glass as he enters the NBA.
Could Wembanyama be a more influential rebounder considering his height, wingspan, and overall athleticism? Probably, yes. But let's just take a second to put the lack of elite rebounding numbers into context.
For one, Wembanyama blocked three shots per game last season, and challenged at least double that. He covers a tremendous amount of ground per stride, and will often rotate over to challenge shots from players taking jumpers from around the key, and even outside.
This, needless to say, takes him out of rebounding position, thus lowering his raw total of available rebounds. Unlike his fellow countryman, Rudy Gobert, Wembanyama plays defense all over, and isn't exclusively limited to sticking around near the basket.
Furthermore, specifically in regards to his offensive rebounding, the same argument applies. Wembanyama took five shots per game from behind the arc last season, while getting to the foul line for 6.3 attempts. With the team's entire offense centered around him, the 7-foot-5 phenom had carte blanche to do basically whatever, and he embraced that role, leading to less rebounding opportunities.
Now, keep in mind, this isn't an excuse. At that height, and with an 8-foot wingspan, Wembanyama eventually has to become a top 10 rebounder at the NBA level. Becoming another Jaren Jackson Jr would be a major issue for both the Spurs, and Wembanyama himself, given his projected career trajectory.
Fortunately, Wembanyama has some recent history to lean on.
Over the past few years international big men have dominated the glass. This past season, 10 of the 11 best rebounders, on a per game basis, were international players. The year before, it was nine out of 10.
For whatever reason, American big men have become less effective on the glass, at least as individual rebounders, which has allowed the international crop to swoop in and dominate the field.
(Remember when European players were considered soft? Let's make sure that notion is dead forever.)
Whether Wembanyama becomes a part of that crop remains to be seen, but the fact that he's going to be playing for a team that still values fundamentals, and thus understands the ever-relevant component of gaining - or retaining - possession, odds are good he'll eventually grow into a player who strikes a balance between shot-blocking and when to hit the glass.
In short, we shouldn't worry until it's an actual problem at the NBA level, over a series of years. So let's stick a pin in this and return in 2027 to pick up where we left off.
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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