Wembanyama. I'm concerned

[Gatorade Sax]

Have said it previously, but I just love these Wemby stat threads.

What we are witnessing is freakish, enjoy it!

[hardenASG13]

Vic is great but he needs to do what big men do and stop chucking threes.

Why? What he's doing is working pretty well.

If Shaq chucked 5 threes a game he still would’ve been a great player. Your argument is that just because a guy is playing well he shouldn’t change anything, and that makes no sense at all. Statistically he isn’t a good three point shooter especially relative to how efficient his two point attempts are. It makes no sense for him to chuck threes like he’s Steph.

What? Did you ever watch Shaq? If he shot 5 threes a game he would probably airball 3 or 4 of them, and shoot 5 percent. Otherwise he probably would've shot them. But Shaq was the most dominant post player maybe ever. He could back down anyone. Wembanyama at this point is not that. The main difference, and it's a big one, is that Wembanyama can't back guys down at this point, like, at all. Shaq shooting 5 threes a game wouldve made 0 sense, just as Wemby playing more on the block at this point wouldnt.

He's getting there inside, but saying he "needs to do what big men do" is what makes no sense. So your argument is that other big guys have played on the block, so he should. How does that make sense? It doesn't, because the key here is that Wembanyama is different than any big guy, or player, that has ever played. He does stuff you've never seen before every game, and is excelling at it. Rules of a traditional big guy don't apply to him, at all. Yes he will get better at holding position inside when he gets stronger. He'll develop a Giannis type spin game on drives. But he's not there from a body type perspective yet.

As far as him not being a good 3 point shooter, he's shooting the same percentage or better than guys like Luka Doncic, Jalen Williams, Jaren Jackson, Brandon Miller, SGA, Malik Monk, CJ Mccollum, James Harden, Lamelo Ball, and Tyrese Haliburton. Should those guys abandon the 3 as well because they shoot a better percentage from 2? Plus Wemby gets off his 3 easier than really anyone in the league due to his release point.

The 3 ball at this point is a big part of his game, and its what makes him even scarier. He's already one of the best players in the league, and as his body develops and allows it, combined with adding players that actually can set him up for lobs and dumpoffs (not even post ups),that inside stuff you want will be an addition to his game. Of course he should get more easy buckets inside, and he can/will when the circumstances are right for hil to do that. His 25ppg will turn to over 30 real quick, it's already starting to approach it.

[The Master]

The 3 ball at this point is a big part of his game, and its what makes him even scarier. He's already one of the best players in the league, and as his body develops and allows it, combined with adding players that actually can set him up for lobs and dumpoffs (not even post ups),that inside stuff you want will be an addition to his game. Of course he should get more easy buckets inside, and he can/will when the circumstances are right for hil to do that. His 25ppg will turn to over 30 real quick, it's already starting to approach it.

VW:

25.6 PPG, 3.9 APG, 60.7 TS%, 4.9 OBPM, 14.0 TOV%, +6.6 ON/OFF ORTG, +3.4 OEPM

AD:

26.1 PPG, 3.5 APG, 60.3 TS%, 4.6 OBPM, 9.2 TOV%, +2.9 ON/OFF ORTG, +2.7 OEPM

Considering that Wemby is a floor stretcher and better offball scorer as well, he may be already a better offensive player than AD in his 2nd year despite high TOV%. What more did you expect, really?

That's why these shooting discussions are missing a point: the biggest 'problem' (in comparison to Giannis/Embiid-level offensive players) of Wemby offensively isn't his shot distribution, but him lacking shot creation skills: he doesn't have tight handles, fundamentals and body strength to operate as an anchor on mid-post/perimeter like, let's say, Giannis or Embiid, on regular basis. Right now.

And this is something to follow in the latter part of the season, one of the reasons behind his increased volume in the recent games is that he seems to be getting much more comfortable in punishing smaller matchups offensively.

Watch on YouTube

1st FG (0:33): attacking Zubac from the perimeter
1-2 FT (0:52): iso on much smaller defender
4th FG (2:03): iso on much smaller defender
5th FG (2:19): iso on much smaller defender
6th FG (2:28): attacking much smaller defender
3-4 FT (2:39) : attacking a rim
5-6 FT (3:35): attacking much smaller defender
8th FG (5:31): another elbow iso on much smaller defender
9th FG (6:11): iso on much smaller defender

This is something we'll regularly watch a year or two from now. We saw that against McDaniels or Edwards vs Wolves as well. That's certainly promising.

[Castle Black]

Read on Twitter

“Shooting like Curry”

I agree that statement sounds a bit hyperbolic but for the month of December, he wasn’t far off. Curry’s shooting 40% from 3 on 10.5 attempts per game compared to Wemby’s 38% on 9.5 attempts per.

[LeBronSpaghetti]

Read on Twitter

“Shooting like Curry”

I agree that statement sounds a bit hyperbolic but for the month of December, he wasn’t far off. Curry’s shooting 40% from 3 on 10.5 attempts per game compared to Wemby’s 38% on 9.5 attempts per.

Curry himself isn’t truly “shooting like curry” at the moment, since he seems to have finally declined to the point of no longer being a superstar. And yet, Wemby still is shooting worse than Curry at his worst.

[GeorgeSears]

Very clearly a top 5 player in the league today.

[Rust_Cohle]

Seeing him take transition 3's is super cringe, low IQ player thus far

The only thing cringe are your horrible posts.

[NoDopeOnSundays]

The post-game and mismatch hunting will open up a lot more in the future as he gets stronger. He's still in the baby steps phase of his game which is frightening, all anyone has to do is go back and look at how much KP struggled to score against wings, and now he pretty much destroys any smaller player caught on him.


Second year Giannis wasn't running over guys either. Vics body maturing and getting stronger will make him truly unguardable, too fast for centers, too strong for wings.

[D.Brasco]

Read on Twitter

[Drakeem]

I'm loving seeing the goalposts move for Wemby. First it was that he wasn't going to live up to the hype, then it was that he'll never be able to shoot and the Spurs are ruining him, now even though he's a good shooter, people don't like the aesthetics of it.

The kid is 21 and can show he can do everything in basketball. Hush up and watch greatness develop. Don't miss this ride.

[Sildegil]

20 yo, still...

[og15]

Read on Twitter

It's such a weird tweet because I don't think Curry has 220 dunks in his career lol

He's more like the next version of the rim protection/floor spacing big like Rasheed, but in the superstar version like a KG level player.

[bledredwine]

Read on Twitter

It's such a weird tweet because I don't think Curry has 220 dunks in his career lol

He's more like the next version of the rim protection/floor spacing big like Rasheed, but in the superstar version like a KG level player.

He has way higher upside than KG. Comparing him to KG is like trying to call young Lebron the next Pippen or Malone.
Actually, VW has more upside than KG on both sides.

[wegotthabeet]

Very clearly a top 5 player in the league today.

Damn I was right.

[Marvin Martian]

I'm loving seeing the goalposts move for Wemby. First it was that he wasn't going to live up to the hype, then it was that he'll never be able to shoot and the Spurs are ruining him, now even though he's a good shooter, people don't like the aesthetics of it.

The kid is 21 and can show he can do everything in basketball. Hush up and watch greatness develop. Don't miss this ride.

They probably had Scoot Henderson #1 on their draft board lol

[The Master]

KG is a good example why people are so weird with criticizing Wemby for being a perimeter big man, 40-50% of his shots were midrange Js, same with Malone.

But Wemby is a completely different player defensively though.

[D.Brasco]

KG is a good example why people are so weird with criticizing Wemby for being a perimeter big man, 40-50% of his shots were midrange Js, same with Malone.

But Wemby is a completely different player defensively though.

A lot of it is aesthetics. People respected a good midrange game, they liked it when MJ and Dirk and Malone and KG shot them.

People are just tried of the perception of 3 spamming, despite a 3 being technically a higher efficiency shot than a mid-range 2.

[The Master]

A lot of it is aesthetics. People respected a good midrange game, they liked it when MJ and Dirk and Malone and KG shot them. People are just tried of the perception of 3 spamming, despite a 3 being technically a higher efficiency shot than a mid-range 2.

If people liked Malone spamming spot up midrange Js like everyone else and don't like Wemby spamming spot up 3s like everyone else, then let it be.

I'm talking about "he should dominate in the paint" angle. Actually, KG is a good comparison offensively of what skills Wemby has to improve (operating on midpost/elbow, playmaking, ball control, iso skills to draw more fouls): the difference is the game extended from 5-6m to 8 for big men, so does volume scoring. But KG was still a perimeter 7-footer.

[Homer38]

Read on Twitter

[THE J0KER]

Read on Twitter

Tim Duncan was spectacular in his rookie year, reached the All-Star game, and in 2nd season he already won the title as FMVP. But probably the most famous dominant NBA debut in modern times for a center was Shaq's case, with the honorable mention of Hakeem Olajuwon.

After the first 99 NBA games, Tim Duncan's stats are:
2074 pts (-164)
1185 reb (+150)
262 ast (-120)
0 3pt (-221)
244 blk (-120)

After the first 99 NBA games, Shaquille O'Neal's stats are:
2411 pts (+173)
1339 reb (+304)
192 ast (-190)
0 3pt (-221)
347 blk (-17)

After the first 99 NBA games, Hakeem Olajuwon's stats are:
2111 pts (-127)
1178 reb (+143)
148 ast (-234)
0 3pt (-221)
265 blk (-99)

So Wembanyama's first 100 games are arguably among the best in NBA history.