Victor Wembanyama has been the best offensive player so far in this NBA Finals series. The Frenchman is doing a great job of mixing up his strong interior presence with a solid three-ball. It's an amazing sign for Spurs fans, but one of the NBA's premier defensive gurus offered a unique perspective on his scoring attack.
"With Wemby, you can hit that jump shot, and it's beautiful," Draymond Green states on the Kevin O'Connor Show. "But when you're at the rim, it causes a
Green couldn't have made a better point than this. Yes, Victor's ability to space the floor can shock opposing teams, putting his defenders into uncomfortable situations. Just ask Mitchell Robinson. He's been forced to close out on the three-point line a lot more than he would like to.
But The Alien is at his best offensively when he's putting constant pressure on the rim. The Spurs' scoring attack is that much more dominant with him in that mode.
Wemby's gravity is the Spurs' most dangerous offensive asset
This conversation is not new. For years, critics have been arguing about the impact of big men taking threes. Regardless of how well they make those shots, the debate is always about whether or not that optimizes a team's offense as a whole.
With Victor, it's great that he can make his long-range attempts at a reliable clip. But there's no doubt that the Spurs' offense is better when he's putting pressure on the rim. It's not just because he can finish easily around there, but his gravity opens up countless opportunities for his teammates.
Defenders can't help but react when he's getting downhill because of how unstoppable he is at the basket. This leaves perimeter shots available for his teammates. Julian Champaigne and Devin Vassell have benefited a ton from this throughout the year.
"That's the alarm bells for the defense when Wemby's at the rim," Kevin O'Connor said in response to Green. Victor's interior dominance puts his opponents at a severe disadvantage, forcing them to figure out how to contain him while trying to prevent easy looks for others.
Finding a scoring balance is key to Wembanyama's game
A major part of Victor Wembanyama's offensive growth is figuring out how to strike a balance between multiple levels of scoring. In the first couple of seasons in his career, he was known to be a bit too reliant on his outside jump shot, taking an alarming amount of threes at 7'4".
This season, we saw him tighten up with this. Victor is mixing up his jump shots with a strong paint presence. For example, he's struck a great chemistry with Stephon Castle in the pick-and-roll, making himself available for easy lobs at the rim.
If the Spurs want to mount a full comeback in this series against the Knicks, Wemby must continue to play this balanced style of basketball. It's not just for his individual scoring numbers. San Antonio's offense is on another level when he plays this way.
