Victor Wembanyama, the 2023 primary total choose, would be the most hyped prospect in NBA historical past. With all eyes on him throughout his rookie season, it is clear why he is seen as a generational prospect.
In simply his third recreation within the NBA, Wembanyama carried the Spurs to victory over the Phoenix Suns, dropping 38 factors and beating established stars like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Nevertheless, he has additionally struggled at occasions and Spurs are one way or the other a lot worse than final season, after they received simply 22 video games.
That is not essentially Wembanyama’s fault, though they do want him to play higher in the event that they hope to beat an unsightly 3-9 begin. Subsequent, we have a look at six key takeaways from Wembanyama’s first month within the NBA.
Takeaway #6: Wembanyama struggles with consistency.
Inconsistency is Wembanyama’s largest drawback to this point. That is not stunning since he is a teen, but it surely was extra intense for him. In wins, he’s averaging 25.7 factors, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and capturing 49.1% from the sector. In the meantime, in losses he averages simply 16.9 factors on 40.1% capturing, 9 rebounds, 4 turnovers and a couple of.2 blocks. Certain, the Spurs have solely three wins of their first 12 video games, however his capturing and turnover points have contributed to these losses.
Some groups had been higher than others at defending Wembanyama, with some opting to play a standard large man on him and supply restricted assist, whereas others instantly doubled him to drive the ball out of his arms. That has led to some turnover points, and he is additionally spending extra time on the perimeter than you’d need to see from a 7’4 participant.
To be clear, he is not a standard large man behind the basket, and he takes quite a lot of threes, however his willingness to run performs within the protection’s recreation plan typically will get him out of performs. He must steadiness his instincts to launch from the surface with forcing the issue within the paint, and discovering that steadiness will likely be key to getting him to play extra persistently.
