Wembanyama. I'm concerned

[zero rings]

You can try to rationalize it however you want, 28% from 3 on 5.5 attempts is terrible. His 33% shooting from 16ft-3 is also terrible. He’s pretty much the worst volume jump shooter in the NBA, but if you find that encouraging by all means keep drinking the kool aid.

If you want to aggressively misunderstand his ability, that's your business, for sure. But he's showing plenty to indicate that he isn't "objectively a bad shooter," which was your contention. His mid-range shooting is as relevant as his perimeter shooting, and you didn't specify. You just tried to full-blast on his shooting touch without accounting for the areas where he's actually doing well, because you're trying to crap on him. Yeah, he isn't prime KD or anything like that as a rookie, but he's showing all kinds of stuff... especially considering the poor environment in which he's playing.

C'mon, man, you know how the game works.

I’m not trying to crap on him. I’m just pumping the brakes on the generational hype. With his slight frame he’s always going to be more of a perimeter player, and if the shot isn’t great then his ceiling is lowered dramatically. I’m still a big believer in his defense, but I don’t think you can be an MVP player in the modern era on defense alone.

[JeffReal]

…

No one talks about MJ, Wilt, Kareem, Shaq needing a "proper PG"

People aren’t going to talk about a player needing something he already has. You should be smart enough to know that.

For example, Wilt’s first point guard, Guy Rodgers, is in the Hall of Fame. Your notion about all this is silly.

[zimpy27]

This kid 19 and it's his first year in the NBA. Give him some time.

This is so predictable isn't it though.

We had people saying this was KD on offense but at 7'5 and DPOY.

The ridiculous over hyping quickly makes this young guy look like a disappointment when he's realistically shown that he's All-NBA calibre soon.

Saw it coming a mile away

[tsherkin]

I’m not trying to crap on him.

Your hyperbole suggests otherwise.

I’m just pumping the brakes on the generational hype. With his slight frame he’s always going to be more of a perimeter player, and if the shot isn’t great then his ceiling is lowered dramatically.

Is it?

He doesn't need to be a power player in order to be very good, and he doesn't actually need to be an elite perimeter shooter to be very good. He will also add more weight over time. He's a kid; he's 19, remember. Giannis gained a fair amount of muscle mass through his first few years in the league as well, so you're getting ahead of yourself to at least some extent.

For sure, people need to let him play the game and see what he actually does, but his potential is quite high. There was definitely some pretty crazy stuff said about what he would be this year.

And don't forget that KD shot 28.8% from 3 as a rookie

I’m still a big believer in his defense, but I don’t think you can be an MVP player in the modern era on defense alone.

He's going to be more than just a defensive player. If you can't see that, then there isn't really a foundation to speak about him set for us. I understand advising some caution and patience and what-not, but flipping 180 degrees on the guy doesn't make sense either.

[JDR720]

He's not a good shooter overall, his shooting ability for a player his size is good, but is below average otherwise. Basing a players shooting potential on good form isn't always a good idea. Plenty of players with pretty form are poor shooters because they lack touch or have bad shot selection.

Anyways, if Wemby is, more or less, supposed to be a 7'5 SG on offense, that isn't a good thing. He should be in the paint and a lot of PnR, not shooting jumpers or dribbling around.

His hype was way too much. People expected him to be a GOAT level player from day 1 practically. And 99% of people never watched him play in France.

Even if he is a top 10 player in the league, a DPOY candidate and All-Star, that'll be disappointing for a lot of people.

[Bornstellar]

The simple fact about him needing a proper PG and all of that, shows me he is just not that can't miss prospect, he will probably still be a great player and all that, but the hype was never justified at all, especially his offense, will probably never be a guy that you can run the ball though him in playoffs. He could still be MVP and all that eventually, depending on the competition, but more in the mold of a Giannis or an Embiid compared to a Lebron or a Jokic or a Curry.

This.

No one talks about MJ, Wilt, Kareem, Shaq needing a "proper PG"

Talk about completely ignoring context. None of those guys were 19 when they came into the league. They all also had good PGs next to them or were the primary ballhandler in MJs case. If you actually watched any Spurs games too, you'd realize that the Spurs do not use Wemby the way those teams used those guys as rookies so yeah the need for a functional PG is extremely apparent to anyone with a pair of eyes. Also, how would you even know what people were saying about Wilt/Kareem when they came into the league? I highly doubt you were involved in whatever analog there was for basketball discussion in the 60s and 70s

This thread is ridiculous. So many people desperate to say "I told you so!" are going to be real disappointed by the end of the season when it's extremely apparent that Wemby will be an all-timer. Again, ITS BEEN ELEVEN EFFING GAMES

[Edrees]

He is still very raw. He'll have a huge jump in his 2nd year. But his handles will never be amazing he's too tall, but he doesn't need them to be elite, just servicable like Jokic Level.

[zero rings]

I’m not trying to crap on him.

Your hyperbole suggests otherwise.

I’m just pumping the brakes on the generational hype. With his slight frame he’s always going to be more of a perimeter player, and if the shot isn’t great then his ceiling is lowered dramatically.

Is it?

He doesn't need to be a power player in order to be very good, and he doesn't actually need to be an elite perimeter shooter to be very good. He will also add more weight over time. He's a kid; he's 19, remember. Giannis gained a fair amount of muscle mass through his first few years in the league as well, so you're getting ahead of yourself to at least some extent.

For sure, people need to let him play the game and see what he actually does, but his potential is quite high. There was definitely some pretty crazy stuff said about what he would be this year.

And don't forget that KD shot 28.8% from 3 as a rookie

I’m still a big believer in his defense, but I don’t think you can be an MVP player in the modern era on defense alone.

He's going to be more than just a defensive player. If you can't see that, then there isn't really a foundation to speak about him set for us. I understand advising some caution and patience and what-not, but flipping 180 degrees on the guy doesn't make sense either.

His outside shooting has been terrible, there’s nothing hyperbolic about that. And no, KD shooting 28% from 3 on low volume 16 years ago isn’t proof that Wemby is going to be a great shooter.

As for the Giannis comparison, it makes no sense. He’s literally half a foot shorter than Wemby. Even if he puts on muscle he’ll never have the functional strength to bully his way to the basket like Giannis. It’s one of the downsides of being a 7’4 alien.

[CobraCommander]

We are spoiled by Lebron and Luka and DRose and Magic-

but the fact is most rookies suck -

Most second year players still suck btw

wemby is right on schedule…

kinda sucking most nights

showing flashes other nights


We need to revisit this when it’s time to sign his second contract -

See him like you see the other lottery guys until he 23-24 years old

[jmnvcavs]

I'm not concerned at all. I've seen enough already this kid is going to be really good. His efficiency will come together it takes a little while for rookies to figure it out.

[damanick10]

LOL it was only a matter of time

[Bornstellar]

Read on Twitter

Since everyone is so focused on some inconsistent shooting to start the season. Thanks for posting in the other thread, Grey

[BrooklynDynasty]

This kid 19 and it's his first year in the NBA. Give him some time.

This is so predictable isn't it though.

We had people saying this was KD on offense but at 7'5 and DPOY.

The ridiculous over hyping quickly makes this young guy look like a disappointment when he's realistically shown that he's All-NBA calibre soon.

Saw it coming a mile away

That’s the crux isn’t it? The Wemby defense squad wasn’t, and still isn’t, content to accept praise such as “he’s so good, he could become as good as Shaq or Giannis one day”. No, the train didn’t stop at anything less than calling him a ‘GOAT candidate’ before he even played a single NBA minute, and especially again after he beat up on a bad Suns defense. Obviously that’s not an indictment on Wemby himself but it’s natural for there to be pushback on that kind of arrogance in the realm of fandom discussion, even if it looks like collateral damage against the player.

Some humility and respect for the history of this game would go a long way into the greater basketball fan community giving this raw player time to develop.

[tsherkin]

His outside shooting has been terrible, there’s nothing hyperbolic about that. And no, KD shooting 28% from 3 on low volume 16 years ago isn’t proof that Wemby is going to be a great shooter.

I didn't say he was going to be a great shooter, I was noting KD's rookie performance to indicate that looking at what happens without context isn't a good idea. No corner 3s, poor passing support, still a short sample, rookie season... There's nothing predictive about his shooting that we've seen except that he's got good form and could use some better looks.

As for the Giannis comparison, it makes no sense. He’s literally half a foot shorter than Wemby. Even if he puts on muscle he’ll never have the functional strength to bully his way to the basket like Giannis. It’s one of the downsides of being a 7’4 alien.

I didn't say he would be like Giannis. I said he could put on muscle and implied that it would change some of how his game goes. Look, if you're just looking for reasons to crap on Wemby, that's your business, I guess, but it isn't rigorous examination of the player. He's shown good form, good success at the line and on his middie. His raw shooting percentage from 3 needs to be contextualized with sample size, lack of corner shots and passing support, etc.

As far as the raw percentage, he's had a couple rough games. He had a 6-game stretch where he was shooting 34.3% from 3, then dropped a 2/9 game and an 0/2 game. That percentage is going to be very dynamic for the first stretch of the season. His perimeter 2 has been rough to start, but we'll see how that goes as he learns more about how to set it up. There's a learning curve, which is again why someone like KD struggled from 3 as a rookie.

[Pachinko_]

I don't even care tbh, watching Wemby is fun

Catching and reverse dunking alley oops and blocking people from outside their field of view will never get old for me

Pop can deal with the efficiency stuff, whatever

[Bum Adebayo]

The people that mention Durant being inefficient in his rookie season conveniently forget that he was an absolutely elite 3pt shooter in college, 40% 3pt shooting on 5.8 attemps per game, in 35 games played. Wembanyama was a sub 30% 3pt shooter in France, he was absolutely a bad or below average shooter.
So he IS a bad shooter until proven otherwise, there is no precedent of him being a good shooter, he will have to improve a lot in order to be a good shooter. Overall efficiency will improve as he physically matures, will be able to post up better, finish through contact better, etc, but the shooting part won't be magically fixed though "experience" and "aging" unless he makes a considerable jump by training properly.

[RoyalWun]

Read on Twitter

Since everyone is so focused on some inconsistent shooting to start the season. Thanks for posting in the other thread, Grey

The fact that he's +11% over the next closest person not named LeBron James.

[NoDopeOnSundays]

Read on Twitter

Since everyone is so focused on some inconsistent shooting to start the season. Thanks for posting in the other thread, Grey

He seems to play more at center in 4th quarters from what I've seen.

[slick_watts]

i think it's obvious that wemby will be a perrenial dpoy candidate during his prime just based on his physical tools and agility. offensively, he's been thrown into the fire unlike almost any rookie in history. only luka, zion and kyrie have had 30%+ usage in age 20 seasons or younger. and wemby is on a terrible team that doesn't even have a proper table setter on the roster.

the degree to which he will be a complete game breaker will of course hinge on his outside shooting ability. i think he'll be great on offense regardless, but if he can eventually nail spot up threes, who knows. the only concern i have with wemby are injuries. players his size and athelticism- the history isn't great.

[HotelVitale]

His hype was way too much. People expected him to be a GOAT level player from day 1 practically. And 99% of people never watched him play in France. Even if he is a top 10 player in the league, a DPOY candidate and All-Star, that'll be disappointing for a lot of people.

I get that feeling but who are these people and why do you care about them? No one who was worth talking to thought he'd be a GOAT level guy from day one, they thought he was a ridiculous specimen who was going to be good at minimum and was going to be extremely interesting and exciting to watch. It's rare that players have a floor as high as Wemby's and who can come in right away and do silly things, but there's really no one informed who could tell you anything about his ceiling, it's obviously all tangled up in question marks. If you just take him for what he is it'll be a really fun and interesting thing to follow instead of being ruined by some discontent with the way casual fans get marketed to.