On Wednesday night, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama broke the internet after torching the Washington Wizards’ defense. Finishing the night with 50 points and eight threes, both career-highs, the 7-foot-4 sensation looked a lot like the player he wants to be.
WEMBANYAMA🇨🇩UNSTOPPABLE🔥, as he becomes the 8th player in Spurs franchise history to score 50 PTS.
50 POINTS
62% FG
8/12 3PM
32 MINUTES #NBAAfrica pic.twitter.com/3xJj8bBcQZ— NBA Africa (@NBA_Africa) November 14, 2024
The problem is that for all of his dominance, the Spurs still pulled out a single-digit win against a rebuilding team. The question is why was the game so close with Wembanyama playing so well. More specifically, did Wembanyama’s shot-selection —which has become a major talking point —negatively impact them in any way?
Is Victor Wembanyama’s Shot Diet Really Spurs Winning Formula?
In their win over the Wizards, the Spurs scored 139 points while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from deep. They had 38 assists on 48 field goals and just nine turnovers. Aside from Devin Vassell’s inefficiency, the offense looked like a well-oiled machine.
Yet, Washington wasn’t far behind. Despite averaging 110.2 points per game this season, they netted 130 against San Antonio on 51.6 percent shooting from the field and 50.9 percent shooting from three. With 27 assists on 49 field goals and 18 turnovers, their offense wasn’t as efficient. Nonetheless, they were playing at a high level, especially considering that Jordan Poole scored a season-high 42 points while going 6-9 from three.
Jordan Poole put on a clinic tonight pic.twitter.com/sXSAA1uw54
— Mo (@Mo___Wrld) November 14, 2024
Based on those numbers, the Spurs’ offense wasn’t a problem, just their defense. Strangely, Wembanyama was one of the culprits. While looking fatigued in the fourth quarter, he allowed multiple shots to go uncontested in the paint. In general, San Antonio didn’t offer enough resistance at the point of attack, leading to frequent lane penetration.
However, stats don’t tell the entire story. One of San Antonio’s problems was that they had plenty of one-and-done offensive possessions, which Washington constantly capitalized on.
The biggest reason why? Wembanyama.
When players take a shot from beyond the arc, it leads to long rebounds. In basketball terms, this means that the ball bounces further away from the rim than normal. The problem with that so far as it relates to Wembanyama is the fact that he’s their best rebounder. So, when his shot doesn’t fall, San Antonio usually doesn’t have enough size or bodies to corral the ball.
This complication alone isn’t a reason to say that Wembanyama should spot-up less frequently, but it’s worth noting.
A Nuanced Take
The Spurs are 2-1 since Wembanyama discovered his three-point stroke, with an +18 point differential.
On the one hand, two of these games have been against rebuilding teams, including a loss to the lowly Utah Jazz. Furthermore, Wembanyama won’t always have stretches shooting 54.1 percent from three, as he has in his last three games. On the other hand, Wembanyama has averaged 36.0 points per game over the past three games. Additionally, San Antonio did manage to take down the Sacramento Kings —a legitimate playoff-contender —during that stretch.
Frankly, it does feel like Wembanyama gets a little too comfortable floating behind the arc. In fact, he seems more comfortable taking a jumper than posting up. That’s just not something people expect from someone who is 7-foot-4, whether fair or foul.
However, the benefits of having a 7-footer who can shoot an outside jumper have always been clear. It helps with spacing and gives coaches a chance to add multiple wrinkles to the offense. In general, because a three-point attempt is obviously worth one more point than a shot inside the arc, it could lead to higher scoring.
It seems like the debate is really just whether the three-ball should be a weapon for Wembanyama or the weapon. To this point in the season, he’s chosen the latter. Yet, even after these recent scorchers, he’s shooting just 34.3 percent from downtown. That might be a great percentage for a center but it’s below league-average.
Ultimately, the jury is still out on whether Wembanyama’s shot-selection is a winning formula. All that can be sure is that he’s starting to make the conversation much more serious.
