Victor Wembanyama

Wembanyama is a game changer on both sides of the ball.  Offensively, Wembanyama is a true three level scorer who puts a lot of pressure on the defense both on and off the ball, as he always needs to be accounted for given his size, shooting, and ability to flash inside for a quick finish.

Wembanyama is not the most powerful athlete, but he is a very smooth athlete who gets off the floor quickly and has long arms and solid fluidity, which help him both on the drive and finishing in traffic.  The challenge for college (and soon NBA defenses) is that while Wembanyama may have his imperfections, he’s dangerous scoring virtually anyway imaginable.  Wembanyama flies up the court in transition where he almost glides and then transitions quickly into a burst towards the hoop in a way almost reminiscent of Tracy McGrady (though not quite as smooth).  In the half court, Wembanyama is no less dangerous.  He’s a P&R nightmare.  He has a big enough frame and enough strength even at this stage to set a good pick and then he can either roll towards the hoop where his size, length, and great hands make him an ideal inside target or he can pop to the perimeter where his speed and shooting creates valuable spacing and even make him a threat to slip the screen if the defense tries to cheat.   This extends in general to Wembanyama’s ability to play off ball.  Wembanyama isn’t just some stationary shooter who will sit in the corner.  He’s very active off the ball and shows the ability to run off screens, where his ability to shoot threes, pop to the free throw line, or cut inside means the defense needs to focus on him at all times.  The amount of gravity he can create without the ball is extremely high and is going to make him an extremely valuable weapon in the NBA.  In terms of Wembanyama’s shot, when he gets his feet set and shoots on balance, he can be absolutely lethal and very hard to contest given his length.  However, he also shoots a high volume of threes and at times can rush them or shoot off balance and his accuracy starts to suffer.  This is also true with his movement shooting and shooting off the dribble.  He has some great moments and shows potential, but he’s tends to lean back and get a bit off balance.  He’s not going to be mistaken for even prospect Luka Doncic yet on these shots.  However, he clearly has the skill and I’d expect we see this part of his game grow over the next few years.

On the ball, Wembanyama is equally as dangerous.  He doesn’t have the quickest first step and will need to tighten up his handles (can be high and loose at times, great in space, but can be picked in congestion), but he’s fast enough to beat most bigs and his high release point and shooting forces smaller players to bite on fakes / commit on close outs and opens up lanes for him to drive.  Wembanyama also displays strong footwork when driving that allows him to use some strong countermoves when challenged on the drive.  He won’t be mistaken for an elite wing player, but the skills are elite for a big man.  Inside, his combination of length and touch makes him a human cheat code.  Wembanyama has solid handles (including a strong spin move he loves) and his long strides allow him to get to the hoop quickly.  There his length, quick jumping, solid hangtime, and good touch allow him to score easily.  This applies to his post game as well, he shows signs of hitting the patented LaMarcus Aldridge turnaround in the post, which is nearly impossible to stop with his skill and high release point.  Like a lot of 19 year old big men, he will need to keep adding strength, as he can be bumped and have his timing thrown off by stronger players.  And I am nitpicking, but he can continue to refine his touch inside, he does get sped up at times and misses some shots he should hit.  Again, nitpicking, but improving here will help his path to superstardom.

Finally, Wembanyama is overall a good decision maker and passer.  When he doesn’t get caught up over-dribbling on the perimeter, Wembanyama makes quick, strong moves with the ball.  Sometimes, it does feel like he’s decided what move he’s going to do when he’s receiving the ball, but he’s a smart player who will benefit from more repetitions.  Wembanyama is also a strong passer.  Again, he won’t be mistaken at this stage of his career for an elite passing big like Divac or Jokic.  However, he flashes diverse passing ability from the top of the key, pst, crosscourt, on the break, or hitting cutters.  His height allows him to see and hit virtually all passing angles and he’s a good enough live dribble passer that this weapon isn’t limited to moments he’s stationary. Wembanyama processes the game well enough, that he makes good anticipatory passes and is often ready to swing or hit a quick touch pass to an open player.  Given all of the attention and double teams he attracts, this is going to be a major weapon for him as he acclimates to NBA defenses.

However, what makes Wembanyama so intriguing is that he is not just a potential offensive engine, but he’s also a game changing defensive player.  Wembanyama has elite physical skills for a defender with elite length, strong lateral speed, the ability to change direction, and great coordination / reflexes.  Unsurprisingly, these skills make Wembanyama and elite shot blocker at all levels; including post ups, drives, jumpers, and even three points shots.  And not only is he an elite help defender providing weakside shot blocking, his speed and length help redefine what we consider to be normal or possible when helping.  And Wembanyama has the coordination and handles to take these blocks (or even normal rebounds) and quickly transition into offense driving up the court or passing to move the ball.

Wembanyama also has good lateral speed and with his length and quick reaction times is able to play effective drop coverage and move well enough on the perimeter that he’s difficult for most wings and guards to isolate and try to hunt.  Even when initially beat, Wembanyama has the speed and length to recover and still contest (or even block) the shot inside. Wembanyama’s long arms and coordination also allow him to get into passing lanes or poking the ball away from ball handlers to create turnovers.  However, it is worth noting that while Wembanyama has a strong ability to change direction for his size, he can struggle when he gets too much momentum going on closeouts or when he gets countered by quicker guards.  Even then, his quick recovery, length, and double jump ability help him to recover and contest these  shots.

Wembanyama also deserves a lot of credit for his very high defensive awareness.  He has great anticipation and instincts and hs able to provide help on drivers or on the P&R and often recover to his own man.  And he is a constant communicator with his teammates and is clearly a true defensive quarterback for his team.