Author of a failed first outing of the week with the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama took an excessive number of three-point shots. Along with his body, the tricolor interior should improve the choice to be more effective.
This week, he is one of the attractions to continue the NBA season. If he is not in the aura of today’s big superstars in the league, Victor Wembanyama has attracted the spotlight. For the continuation of his Spurs, the calendar offers no gift as he has to face the outgoing defending champion, Dallas.
Almost one out of two shots are taken for three points
Unsurprisingly, the game was one-sided, and Luka Doncic’s gang won without forcing, while co-financing their new recruit, Klay Thompson. So the beginnings were complicated, especially for Spurs’ new star. After enduring a first regular season of 82 games, a lot of work on his body, and an Olympic Games campaign, the young Frenchman suffered a bit of a blow.
It was felt on the floor. The contents came out of his tongue, and did not show the same juice as usual, even with 18 points on the clock. Without rhythm and confidence, the interior chose to move to find confidence, which was a complete failure because in the end he posted a bad 1/8 from three points. Beyond the catastrophic percentage (12.5%), the number poses a problem. In fact, from his height of 2.24m, the Frenchman took more than 44% of his shots outside (1/8).
This criticism is not new, since last season, he was disappointed for a long time in a game that was more peripheral. At the end of the season, the situation was slightly corrected although throughout the campaign, he took one shot in three from over 7.23m, with a low success rate (32.5%).
17 points on 5/18 shots, 1/8 of 3 points, 9 rebounds in 29 minutes.
Victor Wembanyama’s (real) highlights in Dallas 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/pyRQLgB5bc
— STEPBACK (@StepBackfr) October 25, 2024
An inside dominance is asserted before the outside shot is resolved
Against the Mavericks, the physical dimension of Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively hurt him in the bottom of the circle, although the two boys gave him a few centimeters. The next night, a reaction is expected against the less impressive Rockets in the sector. Only old Steven Adams seemed capable of stopping him physically, and the Frenchman had to insist.
Despite his already incredible level, Wembanyama is only 21 years old, and has a lot of room for improvement. Everything is still not perfect, and his shot selections need to be more refined. With the physical work done this summer that has scared the NBA, he should be able to show more contact resistance in interior struggles. As the weeks go by, his tendency to run away from the racket will be a distant memory.
Before becoming an outside shooter, Wembanyama is above all a versatile inside, capable of scoring in any position. That might take advantage before the three-point shot is settled.