By Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Sports journalist
While Spurs are struggling to find the right fuel at the start of the season, Victor Wembanyama is also alternating hot and cold in his performances. This does not prevent him from largely dominating the rest of the NBA in an area of magnitude.
If it were necessary to synthesize the different predictions of experts in the NBA regarding them, participation in the Play-In Tournament would already be a great accomplishment. However, for now, the Spurs only occupy 12th place in the Western Conference with 3 wins and 4 defeats. Nothing alarming at this stage, even if the performance of certain players is already calling out. Including that of Victor Wembanyama.
The stat where Victor Wembanyama outperforms the rest of the league
Author of an impressive second part of the rookie season last year, Wembanyama is struggling to regain the level he displayed then. Since the restart, it is particularly his shooting skills that he has lacked (42.3%, 22.0% from 3 points) and which has earned him criticism. Fortunately for him, his defense remains at a very high level, as evidenced by the statistics shared on X by the Spurs Stats & Video account:
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When Wemby defends a shot close to the basket (less than two meters from the circle), his opponents shoot at 35.5% skill, by far the lowest percentage in the NBA. The league average in this area is 62%. 35.5% is crazy. There’s a lot to complain about Wemby’s overall performance, but his rim protection has been *staggering* so far, even by his standards.
Far ahead of Chet Holmgren (42.3%) or his compatriot Alex Sarr (49.0%), Wemby puts his opponents through a real ordeal when they attempt a shot facing him in the paint. Proof that the French phenomenon remains valuable for his team, even when his shooting percentages leave something to be desired. This data also allowed him to collect some welcome compliments in the current context:
@lm277_ : And there are people who dare to think that he hasn’t been good defensively until now
@bello_christo: Wemby is an anomaly of nature who has an excellent basketball IQ. The sky might not even be the limit for this kid. Its limits could only be those of the universe that we know.
Certainly in delicacy on the offensive level, Victor Wembanyama remains among the best defenders in the NBA at the start of the season. This, in particular thanks to his talents as a circle protector, oh so beneficial for the Spurs.
2024-11-06 17:54:00