3 areas Victor Wembanyama has to improve to become an NBA superstar
On June 22, when the NBA Draft gets underway, Victor Wembanyama will enter the league as the first overall pick.
Standing at 7' 2'', Wembanyama has a genuine height advantage over most elite basketball players. However, it's his ability to dribble the ball, score on the move and defend the rim that has NBA teams eagerly awaiting his arrival.
Nevertheless, we should manage our expectations on what we're going to get from Wembanyama during his rookie season. The highly touted rookie has only played in France until now, where the level of competition is below that of the NBA. So, a learning curve is to be expected.
During his first few months in the league, Victor Wembanyama will face a new level of athletes, a new level of offensive threat and a level of physicality that could come as a culture shock. Yet, once he adaps and begins to alter his game to fit in the NBA, we could see the next great star being born.
So, what adjustments will Wembanyama need to make to begin dominating in the NBA? Let's dive in.
#1 Get stronger
At 19, Victor Wembanyama is still growing and developing. His frame remains wiry, as he's yet to begin filling out and adding muscle mass. Against NBA-level athletes and hulking big men, Wembanyama will need to improve his muscle density and core strength.
Otherwise, the incoming rookie will get easily dislodged in the post, bullied around the rim and taken out of plays when navigating screens. Nevertheless, young players learning to deal with the physicality of the NBA is nothing new. The San Antonio Spurs will likely assign Wembanyama his own physical trainer and nutritionist in a bid to help his body develop and grow.
For Wembanyama's first few months in the NBA, we should allow room for error, especially in turnovers and poor shot selection.
#2 Pick and pop scoring
According to Instat Basketball's tracking data, Victor Wembanyama averaged 1.09 points per 100 possessions when operating as a pick-and-pop shooter this season. For Metropolitans, Wembanyama's game has primarily been in the post, with 22.9% of his offense coming from post-ups.
However, the NBA is more of a perimeter-based league, which will likely see the incoming big man shooting more threes after popping off screens. As such, Victor Wembanyama will need to improve his shooting mechanics and off-ball movement.
As he enters the NBA, Wembanyama is a career 29% 3-point shooter. If he can learn to stretch the floor, his job as a roll-man in screening actions will become far easier, as his presence on the perimeter would stretch out defenses.
#3 Shot selection
As the star player in the LNB Pro A, Victor Wembanyama has had free reign in choosing his shooting spots. With the Kevin Durant comparisons surrounding his ability to create space off the dribble, we're almost certainly going to see the rookie go into his dribble package early and often.
The issue, though, is that the NBA is full of elite defenders who know how to take away space. As such, Wembanyama will need to be judicial about when he utilizes his step-backs, side-steps and crossovers, or he could find himself becoming a turnover machine.
Fortunately, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has experience in coaching elite players and will look to work wonders in ensuring Wembanyama becomes as cerebral as he's talented.
If Victor Wembanyama can improve in the aforementioned areas, he could be on his way to becoming a bonafide superstar in the NBA and live up to the potential many league executives expect him to.