Wemby transformed after just 25 games
Two months that’s all Victor wanyama needed to take a giant leap that normal Superstars take in their second or third Seasons as we chronicled at the beginning of the year wem’s defense has been game-changing since he stepped on the court so nearly all of this rapid growth has happened on the offensive end
Where he’s already one of the most unique offensive pieces to ever lace them up if we look at estimates of his impact his first month in the NBA was solid but a little bumpy his second month showed a good amount of improvement mostly on the offensive side
And then suddenly in the last month he looks like an Allstar what is happening how good is wemi right now and is there a limit to this man’s growth let’s start with his passing where he’s actually playing some point guard in the last month at 7 fo4 running these inverted pick and rolls
Where a guard screens for him and he becomes the playmaker because he’s so tall he can find angles over the top of Defenders on these kinds of passes so even with a second opponent in front of him who is 7 feet tall he’s still able
To hit the roll man now one thing he hasn’t developed yet in pick and roll is the skip pass across the court although that’s probably coming because he Maps the floor so well knowing where other players are and with his height he can just see over everyone and snap passes
To the second side and that always leads to good offense here’s another one where he’s doubled in the post the top is open but there’s a better shooter in the corner and why not take a layup wemi already uses a ton of no look passes like this to mislead defenses because he
Sees so much in his peripheral vision and doesn’t have to direct look at his Target to slip it through he brings this one up in transition gets a screen crosses the other way then never looks at Trey Jones streaking down the Baseline for a shovel and I love his
Deliveries snatching an entry pass right out of the air and then going to the lookaway with one hand and this play should be sent to the Hall of Fame here’s some more Point guarding into another one-handed pass off a live dribble and Victor’s already a good entry passer
And he’s even busted out the baseball style Outlet pass and this one gave me flashbacks to Kareem himself who chucked these across the gym a half century ago at the beginning of the season wem’s passes weren’t as Crisp And while he still has a lot of fat to trim in this
Area the game is starting to slow down for him he doesn’t force it to this cutter then threads this audacious bounce to the second man for free throws and here’s a great example from this month of using Tempo and angles in transition then casually no looking this
Lovely dime remember he’s doing this at 7′ 4 and he just turned 20 yet he demonstrates a deep understanding of all the chess pieces on the board constantly pointing and directing teammates so you’ll already see stuff like this where a three-pointer is blocked and as the
Ball is in the air wem’s pointing to the open man to help Devon vasel make the right read and I kind of feel like Victor should get an assist on that one now the playmaking is exciting but it’s his off ball game that might be groundbreaking wanyama might have the
Largest lob radius in the history of the sport where a passer can just throw the ball up in the air and he’ll go and get it so even with other Defenders around he has a vertical Advantage no one else can defend this means that his teammates
Need to just toss it up to him and he’ll go snatch it even when a Defender is in position because he’s so big this makes him a ridiculous Target after setting a screen finishing shots in midair like this and if teams switch the pick and roll against him he turns NBA players into
Kindergarteners this really isn’t a change in wemi but in his teammates this is going to be a layup but they didn’t understand you could just throw it over the top to him yet but now they’re learning to just lob it into his airspace like he’s playing on a Nerf
Hoop and again even when he doesn’t look that open he’s the only one who can go get these passes way Above the Rim heck sometimes the pass doesn’t even have to be on Target because wemi has access access to his own personal airspace that’s like 12 ft off the floor and the
Guy barely needs to jump to dunk come on and the really scary thing is that they’re still missing him left and right on these lobs because the Spurs aren’t a great passing team just throw that toward the rim and wemi will do the rest and we know this because we’ve seen the
Possessions where it actually happens Trey Jones through that pass and moving him to the starting lineup has been a big boost for them because the Spurs started the year playing without a point guard for some reason so these passes never came in 550 minutes with Trey and wemi on the Court San Antonio’s
Outscoring teams by eight points per 100 possessions with a slightly above average offensive rating of 118 having a floor General who can pass certainly helps but the other big change is shelving Zach Collins and moving wemi to Center which opens up way more space to attack in the lane this means Victor
Can put the opposing Center in pick and roll blows by him and then Look Out Below because pulling that big man out removes the only shot blocker that can really challenge him when he turns the corner like this no Collins also creates more space for wemi to cut into away
From the ball and even at his size he’s an excellent cutter without the rock teams will often put more mobile forwards on him and he can completely shake them like this when he doesn’t have to dribble he also has a great motor so he keeps moving away from the
Ball cutting and then spinning and ducking in for a postup and quickly making a move and I don’t love this shot but he’s still experimenting out there he also just outs sprints everyone down the court sometimes forcing a smaller player to switch onto him and then you
Know the drill by now so we’re basically talking about an alien here who just bounces around like some na’vi version of Steph Curry looking for lobs it’s subtle so you might have missed it but Victor loves to screen and act like he’s popping behind the line only to back cut
The Defender as they switch back to him and this is just Ninja level movement that he’s added after only 25 games and I love how active he is on these possessions they switch so he looks for a back cut and a lob or here he starts
To set a screen floats down to the free throw line and then when the first pass never comes he immediately flashes back into open space and then does his thing on the catch all of his movement creates gravity a second Defender picks him up well Nicole okic recovers and that frees
Up the three-point shooter and as a rle man he’s so lethal that teams are already sending multiple bodies at him to slow him down which again opens teammates even if they aren’t ready to capitalize yet about 3/4 of wemi shots are assisted right now and I actually
Think this is a pathway to highlevel offense because his activity and huge catch radius are a nightmare to match up with and unlike an interior only Force like Shaquille O’Neal Victor can also go outside and do damage on the perimeter his shooting still probably has a long
Way to go but he’s been at 35% this month with moves like this and oh by the way he can also attack from the outside like a smaller guard and finish that way too and when he picks up his dribble on these inside the free throw line he
Might just be close enough to dunk it we haven’t even mentioned his defense where he’s already one of the best defenders in the game because half the league is afraid to shoot it when he’s nearby and for good reason opponents are shooting 10% worse than expected near the rim
Against wemi one of the best marks in the league what what’s really crazy is that despite averaging 25 points per game this month on 63% true shooting he still clearly has more room to grow his balance and body control are incredible for his size yet he could
Clearly get stronger and more stable in future Seasons his shot selection is improving but could still be reigned in with more experience and of course his outside shooting can improve as he learns more tricks of the trade right now Victor sort of feels like the legendary Secretariat running away from
The field at Belmont what what are we watching how far can he take this I’m personally left with a kind of analyst vertigo trying to wrap my head around just exactly where this Transcendent athlete is headed and well I don’t know the answer to that yet I’m pretty sure
Victor wanyama just authored the best month an NBA rookie has had in the last 25 years we have a full breakdown of wem’s recent match up with Chad hren on the more thinking basketball Channel if you’re interested to directly support us and access our proprietary stats check out patreon.com thinking basketball
There you can see how wemi compares to Homen and others as a Defender shooter passer and more let me know down below what you think Victor’s ceiling is otherwise thanks for watching and I hope you are having a great day
How good is Victor Wembanyama now!? He’s exploded in his 3rd month, and this detailed film breakdown and scouting report explores his completely unique game and skill set, how he’s used as a passer and 7-foot-4 point guard, his off ball movement, lob gravity and roll game, high motor and more.
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43 Comments
his everything goes right for him ceiling is greatest player of all time.
his rookie campaign is eerily similar to LeBron. Coming to the leauge with such unreal hype that even his own teammates seems annoyed about it, but quickly proving to everyone that yes, he is THE GUY.
Pop is working wonders
And they say Chet should win ROTY😂 It's not even close. Chet has regressed while Wemby has improved a lot since being moved to center. Chet's only argument is efficiency and that he is on a winning team. Now Wemby has been as efficient if not more efficient and producing better numbers in far fewer minutes than Chet. And ohhh a winning record does not have any bearing in an ROTY race.
Hoping by next season he is a full-on finished product with no injuries for all 82 games. Pop needs to stop playin around and hire a real floor general…
Seems like a lot of top European prospects adapt to the game very quickly
I do believe Wemby can get a quintuple double but it’s definitely not gonna be with the Spurs
Next up eventually he’s gonna control the team completely especially when they start getting better draft picks
"Aren't a good passing team"
Spurs have been among the top teams in assist for years, while not having a single player averaging a high amount of assist. The teams identity is passing. If you had said "don't have great court vision" That would have made more sense.
Also Zach was not "shelved" he got hurt. Vic was moved to the 5 before Collins injury.
The reason for his numbers explosion was specifically because of the minute restriction he was on. Vics biggest flaw in his game is his stamina. While he was on his minutes restriction he played like a legit all-nba caliber player. Since coming off of the restriction, he is still playing decently well, but is a LOT more sloppy now.
I’m a Mavs fan but my wife is a Spurs fan. That being said, I watch a lot of Spurs games.
Honestly, Pop is not a good coach anymore.
still experimenting but already averaging double double
Let’s chill with the ai thumbnails
If a team like Indiana had Wemby, they’d be contenders for the title immediately
It honestly sucks that pop is so old…I think he’s pretty healthy but I’m not sure he’s as good of a coach now that he used to be…I know this team isn’t great and he’s a rookie but pop is only gonna get older. I think getting as much experience as possible from him is still good for him but I wish he would’ve come in right after Duncan retired or even played one year with him sorta how luka did with the mavs. Because this dude has all the tools to be the best player for the spurs all time even beating tim Duncan’s career. Duncan was fortunate because he came in to a really good team and got to play with the admiral David Robinson. So he immediately got playoff experience from the get go even winning a title in just his second season. Anyone who’s played in competitive anything that involves a regular season and playoffs knows the difference between a real game and practice is monumental everyone knows that but going from a regular season game to a playoff game is also a big leap in difference. So I have a feeling unless they make some moves and get the right pieces he’s going to progress just a tad bit slower but then again Tatum went to 7 with Lebron with a rookie and doesn’t seem to of make that big of a difference getting that early playoff xp. Duncan’s start is gonna be hard to beat he was rookie of the year and scored 21 a game and also led them to the 2nd round where as wemby isn’t gonna make the playoffs or make the allstar game and while he does have a good chance to get roty but Chet is right there with him and the fact that Chet is the second best player on 2nd ranked team in the west gives him a lot of credit. All I’m saying is if the coaching goes smoothly and he really likes pop and his current system and they get along wonderfully then even with only decent roster moves they should be able to make the playoffs even by next year. I believe if the right team comes together that wemby could have an even greater spurs career than tim Duncan I know he’s going to pass him statistically but that’s what made Timmy so great is he impacted the game with every aspect of his being. I think wemby is more talented and gifted even more physically than Duncan was. I’m also very interested to see if he is one of the guys that comes in skinny and puts muscle on quick like your Giannis and lebrons or is he gonna remain the size he is sorta how KD and them did. I know he will get stronger either way strength gains always come before actual mass accumulation but if he does then god help us all.
The hype was wild but Vic is wild n out
The Spurs can pass. they just dont have great playmakers like most teams. very important distinction. people take playmaking skills for granted these days since everyone is so skilled. Maybe theres some truth to it, but im just not used to Ben adhering to common rhetoric that everyone else says, im used to him having unique perspectives different from the casual fans.
when is he gonna transform and get some mfn wins lmao
He doesnt even dribble well for a big man yet, at least not compared to a high number of all star level guys. We may look back in a few years, as good as he's been, and say "well that rookie year was your shot everybody; now he's here and now he's dominant." ala Micheal Jordan's first full season.
bouta be human cheat code real soon
all on only 28 mins per game
There’s never been a guy who I hysterically laugh at every highlight I see of him. What are other people supposed to do on half these jobs 😂
I think once his body got stronger and his balance is better it's only matter of time when he also master various post move that Duncan and Robinson could easily teach him. This kid is truly blessed to be drafted in San Antonio and vice versa😂
If we take look at most pts+assts+reb+blks+stls per minute, with at least 10 ppg, in the last ten games, Wemby is ONLY behind Luka, Embiid and Jokic.
Imagine a Trae young/Wemby pick n roll… league ain’t ready
Gonna eclipse MJ and LeBron with those physical tools, PRAY FOR THOSE FEET!!!!
"The Spurs aren't a great passing team" my heart definitely broke hearing that 🥲
Bro, you really not going to make another video about Luka, after he posted the best game in NBA history? 😢
Big take away for me is that Wemby is not just a basketball freak for his size.
He has very quickly elevated his vision and passing ability, and as you rightly point out, he has a decent motor and keeps working constantly in O & D.
Kid is awesome. Love it for him and San Antonio.
Young players rarely develop in a clear linear fashion. His ascension is looking incredible. Don’t go overreacting if/when he hits a rookie wall.
Spurs have the WORST RECORD in the Western Conference.
This is the VIDEO people should be making.
WOW
It’s going to be difficult to score in the paint against France. Damn.
"Fuck it, Wemby down there somewhere." – Spurs players
That first highlight 😂. It’s like an adult keeping the ball away from a child.
👏👏
Wemby has great potential but let's not go nuts yet!
The Secretariat analogy is terrible.
That would imply he is by far the greatest player now, maybe in history.
But as pointed out below, his shooting & box +/- leave a lot to be desired…
Adding up all the things he can & sometimes does-will not show how good he is overall.
Even there bias is evident-the narrator is talkin' 'bout him being 12 feet up & above everyone else…And consecutive frames show him just above the rim.
Look at the actual STATS. The meaningful ones re: how much he contributes.
Even giving hi the rookie handicap, he is doing decently, NOT anywhere near great.
Even a rate stat like Win Shares per 48 minutes…NO player around .056 is that good!
The best guys go over .300. The best over a CAREER go near or a couple over .250.
These are many TIMES better than Wemby.
He is just not very efficient: yet.
Now consider All Star numbers.
The NBA heads are more forgiving than baseball: a 3.2 VORP (Value Over Replacement) is considered the MINIMUM for All-Star quality.
In easily over half the season, Wemby is at 1.4.
A video can be made about how rookies dominate much LESS this century: this shows how much more competitive the NBA is, + how when younger it is harder to dominate.
Wemby IS making progress-but IF it was so dramatic, he would be among the best players in the NBA already-& that is not remotely approaching the outside of Reality.
His Win Shares are ALSO 1.4: Joker & SGA are already over 10.
right now the best comparison to his accomplishments in his first year may be LeBron.
Who ALSO was short of All-Star standard quality then: BUT WAS MUCH BETTER JUST THE NEXT YEAR!
Wemby's numbers are close to LeBron-except less Win Shares & value limited by dramatically fewer minutes (which is not his fault).
In his sophomore year, James was at 14.3 Win Shares: & a massive 9.1 VORP.
IF #Wemby can get to say at least 75% of those numbers, THEN you can say he is progressing quickly in accords with a truly Great player.
Hell I'll give it to him if he gets James .203 WS/48 in WAAAAY less minutes!
And maintaining it over endless playing time is so much harder…
You might have every tool to play basketball, it doesn't make you a great basketball player. You need the talent, you need the right mindset, you need to work. And even if you do all that it's no guarantee to be great.
We all see the talent, work ethic, winning mindset if we look at Victor. But what really sets him apart, and definetely at his age, is his intelligence. He knows the game.
I guess he's passing to make his teammates feel better?
25 years… are you excluding Timmeh's rookie season?
I can only imagine Wembanyama playing with a legit playmaker in the future like a Trae Young, Doncic or Haliburton.
he's already something else in his rookie year but i know the league is dreading the 2nd-5th year leaps into his prime, so exciting to see
It seems like his offensive peak (factoring in increased strength) could be prime Giannis Antetokounmpo, except with a high-level perimeter shot. Lack of a shot is the only thing that holds Giannis back–a version of him who could shoot would probably be unstoppable.