It’s solely been half a season. He’s solely performed 35 video games. But, San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama has already proven himself to be probably the most versatile gamers in NBA annals. Right here’s the scary half: He’s nonetheless enhancing by leaps and bounds.
The participant as soon as described by LeBron James as not a unicorn, however “extra like an alien,” got here into this season as probably the most extremely anticipated rookies in NBA historical past. Thought of by most to be the very best prospect to enter the league since James in 2004, Wembanyama was the highest choose within the 2023 NBA Draft after a breakout season as a youngster in France, and he was the prize when the San Antonio Spurs gained the draft lottery in Might.
After a promising early begin, together with a 38-point eruption in his fifth NBA recreation, Wembanyama and the Spurs each had some hiccups. Groups scouted him extra severely; larger, heavier opponents performed him extra bodily and compelled him into off-balance jumpers; and an unready Spurs roster provided him little assist. San Antonio misplaced 18 consecutive video games — a feat rapidly buried when the Detroit Pistons misplaced a record-setting 28 straight quickly after, however terrible nonetheless. In the meantime, Wembanyama put collectively a sequence of tough taking pictures nights, hitting solely 43.3 % in November.
Of late, nevertheless, we’ve seen extra constant flashes of his dominating potential and comparatively fewer stretches of wayward taking pictures. Even because the Spurs have continued to battle — the group is simply 7-32 on the season — Wembanyama’s performances have steadily improved, together with a dominant begin to his January.
“I believe you possibly can see how he performs, and what an unbelievable expertise he’s,” Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić stated earlier this season. “I actually take pleasure in watching him.”
As we attain the midway level of Wembanyama’s first season, now is an efficient time to take inventory of the heralded rookie’s first season and a number of the positives and negatives so far.
Let’s begin with the attention sweet. No participant within the league produces extra highlights per minute than Wembanyama. In simply half a season, he’s already generated a mind-blowing YouTube catalog, utilizing his unprecedented mixture of size and ability to carry out feats we simply haven’t seen earlier than on a basketball courtroom.
Take one random play from Monday’s recreation in Atlanta. Wembanyama catches the ball on the transfer on the 3-point line after which does one thing we aren’t accustomed to seeing from a 7-foot-4 participant — a lefty drive right into a behind-the-back-dribble right into a dunk.
Watch it beneath. The Hawks’ Jalen Johnson performed good protection that seemingly was going to drive Wembanyama into a troublesome, contested hook shot. He stopped the rookie big on his preliminary thrust left, however Wembanyama had the physique management to hit the brakes, keep away from a cost and alter his assault angle. Johnson then slid his toes when Wembanyama effortlessly went behind the again to vary course and was on his hip as he began to leap from properly exterior the cost circle. Johnson seems like he’s loading as much as problem a jumper or hook shot after which … growth.
For 99 % of gamers, that’s a troublesome, contested jumper, floater or hook shot within the lane. Aside from Wembanyama, who — along with his proper foot planted properly contained in the bounce ball circle — simply reached up his Inspector Gadget arms towards the rim and stored extending and lengthening till he dunked it proper over Johnson. That was considered one of 9 dunks he had simply within the second half of the Spurs’ loss. In a associated stat, solely 9 of Wembanyama’s 557 shot makes an attempt this season have been blocked.
Now that we’ve everybody excited, let me be Debbie Downer and take issues down a notch. For starters, his group stinks and Wembanyama hasn’t been ok to beat that. Whereas the Spurs’ current outcomes have been reasonably higher, there isn’t a query that they’ve been a disappointment. They’re younger and lack different gamers of Wembanyama’s caliber, however the expectation was that they’d be extra aggressive.
Wembanyama and level guard Tre Jones are turning right into a formidable mixture. (Michael Gonzales / NBAE by way of Getty Photographs)
Partly, that’s a results of lineup constructions that at occasions have appeared like they have been designed strictly to sabotage Wembanyama’s growth. The Spurs started the season by making an attempt to play second-year professional Jeremy Sochan at level guard, regardless of his exhibiting no actual {qualifications} or aptitude for taking part in the place.
In addition they lined up one other middle, Zach Collins, subsequent to Wembanyama within the frontcourt, pushing Wembanyama additional to the perimeter at each ends. The Collins-Wembanyama pairing was outscored by 11.8 factors per 100 possessions in its 25-game run. Hopefully, we’ll by no means see it once more.
In the meantime, the Spurs appeared nearly defiantly immune to taking part in their one actual level guard, Tre Jones, along with Wembanyama. Lineups with Jones and Wembanyama collectively have outscored opponents by 3.9 factors per 100 possessions this season, no imply feat on a group that in any other case is bludgeoned by 9.1 per 100, but solely just lately have they shared the courtroom with any frequency.
Moreover, a sequence of turned ankles in December has the Spurs pulling again the throttle on Wembanyama’s courtroom time. He reportedly will sit out in Charlotte on the entrance finish of a back-to-back on Friday night time. He hasn’t performed a back-to-back since Nov. 18 and has been capped at a most of 27 minutes since Dec. 17.
Nonetheless, even since opening day, Wembanyama’s progress has been evident. It helps that he’s in additional conditions to succeed now. Slowly however certainly, the Spurs have groped and stumbled their manner right into a extra workable lineup. After a disastrous first quarter of the season, the Spurs lastly moved Sochan off the ball, moved Collins out of the beginning lineup and shifted Wembanyama to middle. Lo and behold, maintaining the 7-4 man nearer to the basket appeared to pay some dividends.
In the meantime, it took an damage to mainly each different guard on the group to make it occur, however Jones is lastly beginning at level guard.
Since Christmas, Wembanyama has gone to a different stage. In 10 video games he’s scored practically a degree a minute — 232 in 242 minutes — whereas taking pictures 62.6 % contained in the arc and upping his free-throw price, together with his first two double-figure free-throw video games. Defensively, he’s blocked a ridiculous 5.2 photographs per 36 minutes on this stretch, and a few of them have been absurd bodily feats. Watch right here as he swipes down on the ball as Atlanta’s Trae Younger gathers it … after which magically blocks Younger’s floater try with the identical hand.
Trae had zero probability, Wemby ate him up pic.twitter.com/YgS0KpDHNK
— CJ Fogler account could or might not be notable (@cjzero) January 15, 2024
On the offensive finish, the low-percentage, off-the-dribble lengthy 2s that characterised a lot of his early-season output have steadily diminished. As an alternative are arduous rim runs. Jones retains in search of him within the air, and different Spurs have caught on to the truth that it’s unimaginable to overthrow Wembanyama.
Who’s up for a SLOB Lob?
Wemby catches the inbound lob for 16 PTS within the 4Q 💪
📺 Hawks-Spurs is LIVE on TNT pic.twitter.com/gnNe43K8RO
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2024
After I requested the place Wembanyama had improved probably the most, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich provided this evaluation of his progress after Monday’s recreation in Atlanta,
“In all probability in aggressiveness,” Popovich stated. “Working to the bucket and never being so targeting 3-point photographs. Working the ground, being that focus on. After all, the group has realized that they should throw these passes, it’s not one thing we have been used to. He’s realized how to do this and understands that it units a tone for everyone.
Wembanyama might turn into the third participant in Spurs historical past to steer the league in blocked photographs as a rookie, becoming a member of David Robinson and Tim Duncan. (Brian Babineau / NBAE by way of Getty Photographs)
“Defensively he’s changing into a extremely good rim protector, and clearly he’s tall. And lengthy and he needs to be, however he’s determining how you can make {that a} particular precedence. And everybody else is studying how you can deal with that, taking part in round him.”
You possibly can see the numerical proof for Popovich’s assertion far and wide, together with in a number of the numbers referenced above. Whereas Popovich centered on the 3-pointers, that amount has modified lower than Wembanyama’s general reliance on jumpers off the dribble.
Moreover, the visible proof for Wembanyama’s rim runs is difficult to overlook. He received the Hawks on a fast alley-oop following made baskets thrice on Monday, once more, having Jones serving as a catalyst. Watch right here as Wembanyama is jostling with Atlanta’s Clint Capela below the basket at the start of the clip, then magically materializes on the rim on the finish of it.
Popovich additionally credit Wembanyama’s basketball know-how for serving to him progress so rapidly.
“Actually excessive IQ, understands the sport intuitively,” Popovich stated. “You clarify one thing to him and he understands it. He’s only a outstanding 20-year-old.”
Wembanyama has certainly displayed a maturity past his years in his information conferences, even on nights when issues haven’t gone properly, and his response to robust teaching from Popovich additionally has been notable. As an example, with the Spurs struggling in Atlanta on Monday and trailing by 35 at halftime, an sad Popovich benched three starters — together with Wembanyama — to begin the third quarter. Wembanyama understood.
“The message was sturdy and apparent,” Wembanyama stated. “He stated we have been being embarrassed, that we had in all probability the worst half we’ve had to date.”
Did Popovich say it that properly, although?
“Aw, hell no.”
Nonetheless, Wembanyama responded with a 26-point eruption after halftime that included the aforementioned dunk fest, practically bringing the Spurs again from a huge deficit.
“I wish to be coached, I wish to be threatened and despatched to the G League if I don’t play the best manner. I don’t care, I like when there are penalties to my errors,” he stated.
It doesn’t seem to be a visit to Austin to play for the Spurs’ G League group shall be crucial — Wembanyama shall be San Antonio’s beginning middle for the foreseeable future — however there are nonetheless a couple of areas the place Popovich may learn him the riot act for motivation.
Wembanyama’s midrange taking pictures has been fairly poor — simply 31 % on 2s from past 10 toes, in response to Basketball Reference — and his 29.3 % mark from 3 lends help to Popovich’s ideas on his 3-point frequency. Whereas he’s proven the contact to make these photographs, it’s nonetheless a growing ability for him, not a go-to possibility. Even final yr in France, Wembanyama would fall in love with this shot a bit an excessive amount of.
If we’re nitpicking, we will level to another issues. His turnover price has additionally been too excessive (5.5 per 100 possessions) as a few of his ballhandling adventures have gotten him into robust spots. He must be extra artful in drawing fouls and add some lower-body power for battles below the basket (though his Rebound Charge of 19.1 % is superb, even amongst facilities).
Within the huge image, nevertheless, Wembanyama’s current run of dominance, and regular enchancment since opening day, factors to a stratospheric endpoint while you extrapolate the graph out a couple of years.
“He’s going to vary the sport, one hundred pc,” Denver Nuggets star and NBA MVP Nikola Jokić instructed reporters after dealing with him earlier this season. “He’s already on that path, so simply take pleasure in and watch the present and let the man change the sport.”
After falling behind Oklahoma Metropolis’s Chet Holmgren early within the NBA Rookie of the 12 months race, Wembanyama is once more asserting himself as a worthy rival in a two-horse race. And at simply 20 with enviable instruments, there’s little query he has extra long-term upside than every other participant within the league.
So benefit from the trip, everybody. The back-to-back and minutes restrictions could also be a momentary nuisance for followers who need to see extra, however Wembanyama stays must-see TV as probably the most proficient gamers to ever enter the league. The thrilling half, now, is the place the Spurs’ French prodigy continues to take his recreation within the second half of the season and past.
(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; pictures: Dylan Buell / Getty Photographs)