The good, the bad and the ugly from Victor Wembanyama so far
Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA as one of the most hyped prospects of all time.
So, as the 19-year-old puts the finishing touches on the first month of his NBA career, how’s he looked?
As is the case with every rookie, Wembanyama has had his ups and downs. For example, he’s already had four 20-point games, one of which was a 38-point masterpiece against the Suns that had the whole world buzzing. However, he hasn’t been particularly efficient overall and he’s turning the ball over at one of the highest rates in the league.
To get a better sense of how good Wembanyama already is, his biggest areas of improvement and what he has the potential to become, let’s take a closer look at what he’s shown offensively and defensively.
MORE: Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren can be NBA’s next great rivalry
You might not believe what you’re seeing if you catch Wembanyama on the right night.
As you’d expect, having someone who is 7-4 with an 8-foot wingspan on your team can be a cheat code. He runs the floor well for a big man, he has great touch around the basket and the Spurs are learning that they can launch the ball to the stratosphere whenever he’s cutting or rolling to the rim.
I’m fully aware of how nerdy this might sound, but Wembanyama’s catch radius is astounding.
(That was a casual left-handed tip over Robert Covington, a 6-7 forward with go-go gadget arms himself.)
The Spurs are smart to play the long game, but it’s clear Wembanyama will benefit from playing with a good passer. There have been too many times where he’s had a clear advantage but the Spurs haven’t rewarded him. It’s not a huge surprise that Tre Jones has assisted Wembanyama more than anyone else on the Spurs and that San Antonio has been much better offensively with the two of them on the court.
ROOKIE RANKINGS: Holmgren on Wembanyama’s heels for No. 1 spot
The rest of Wembanyama’s offensive game is a work in progress. He can get his shot off over just about anyone — Kevin Durant, who is usually the one towering over defenders, said all you can do is play hard and contest — but he’s shooting 36.4 percent from midrange and 28.3 percent from 3-point range, both of which are below-average marks for his position. That’s not great considering almost two-thirds of his shot attempts have been jumpers.
Plays like this are breathtaking:
But it might be a while before he’s doing things like that on the regular.
Wembanyama has also had some turnover issues, coughing the ball up 3.9 times per game. (There aren’t many players in NBA history who have averaged more turnovers in their rookie season.) He can create off the dribble, but he’ll have to tighten his handle to become a more reliable creator. He’s a legitimately good passer, but the game seems to be moving a bit too fast for him at times, which is normal for a rookie.
Wembanyama does a nice job drawing the double team and spinning away from it here, but he would’ve been better off skipping a pass to Cedi Osman, a 44.7 percent 3-point shooter this season, than trying to thread the needle to Malaki Branham:
That was one of a season-high seven turnovers Wembanyama committed against the Heat that night.
Up-and-down as Wembanyama has been on offense, it’s easy to see the vision. In time, the players who are strong enough to battle with him in the post probably won’t be quick enough to keep up with him off the dribble. If they are quick enough, then they probably won’t be agile enough to chase Wembanyama around screens. If they are agile enough, then they probably aren’t big enough to battle with him in the post.
