Why Victor Wembanyama is taking all those threes
This is a project, not an assignment.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Thetis Receiving the Weapons of Achilles from Hephaestus; Anthony van Dyck; 1630-32
Several commentators have been raising alarms about Victor Wembanyama setting up shop well outside the paint on offense early in San Antonio’s (probable) last season with low expectations. In Wembanyama’s first nine games this season, he took 62 threes (about seven per game), just 72 two-pointers and just 34 free throws. For a 7’4 with impossible reflexes, that would seem on the surface to be low. A maximally effective Wembanyama at this point would be dunking almost everything, especially considering Big Vic was shooting only 23% from deep through nine games.
No one wants to see the tallest man in the league chucking up bricks from 25 feet. But you all need to take your medicine and like it, because there is a plan here, and that plan is to make Wembanyama the most unstoppable player on all planets, and to be that he may need to be a legitimate threat from outside in a league moving further in that direction, and to become that legitimate threat he needs to not only work on the deep shot in practice and summer training but in live game situations against the best competition in the world, and doing so early in a season without playoff expectations as a 20-year-old is a proper laboratory for seeing how it is coming along, and frankly just taking the threes draws defenses out which allows the impossibly long and smart wunderkind to attack close-outs with the dribble and the pass and further develop his offensive skills beyond jumping and dunking and twisting around the rim and all of those other attributes we know he has at an All-NBA level already and which also increase the likelihood for wear and tear and bump and bruise injuries.
And also, the plan is paying off already. Over his last three games, Wembanyama is 20/37 from deep. Yes, 20 threes over three games, in two wins and a loss, capped with an 8/16 night on Wednesday in his first-ever 50-point game.
The Spurs are 6-6. They picked up their sixth win on January 10 last season. (They had 30 losses at that point.) San Antonio did not play effective defense on Wednesday against the Wizards (more later in the newsletter) but the team is flirting with the top-10 in defensive rating on the season. The offense is improving with Wembanyama finding the range and Devin Vassell returning to action.
I understand that fans would rather see Big Vic do alien things in the paint versus bombing threes, which dozens of large NBA players already do. What I’m saying is that I’m here for the long haul with Wembanyama, and building the outside game will make everything that much more unstoppable when it all comes together, and I can’t wait to see it. This outside game is G.O.A.T. food. Let him graze for a bit. There’s plenty of time to watch him do all the stuff we find more exciting.
Scores
Pacers 90, Magic 94 — Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Suggs combined to shoot 5/29 from the floor. No thanks!
Pelicans 88, Thunder 106 — The Tiny Thunder Adventures continue to perform. Jalen Williams with 31-6-7 starting at center. The Pelicans, meanwhile, might be about two weeks from their season being over.
Cavaliers 114, Sixers 106 — Cleveland is starting to either play with its food or lose steam just a bit. You probably should not give up 110 offensive rating to a team on a back-to-back without any of its three stars. But you know what? Jared McCain is ready to play.
The Cavaliers are 13-0. They are two wins from tying the second longest win streak to start a season ever. They are 11 wins away from tying the longest win streak to start a season ever. They host the Bulls and Hornets next. Game 16 is in Boston. CANNOT WAIT.
Bulls 124, Knicks 123 — Absolutely wild finish to this game. Just an absolutely horrible foul from Josh Hart. Just an absolutely painful miss for Jalen Brunson.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 46 in the loss.
Celtics 139, Nets 114 — Jayson Tatum is absurdly good basketball player. Terrible taste in potato chips, though.
Wizards 130, Spurs 139 — I don’t want to let the moment pass though our boy was obviously overshadowed: Jordan Poole went for 42.
In other news, the Spurs announced that Gregg Popovich’s health scare was a mild stroke suffered on November 2. He’s recovering but there’s no timeline for his return. Best wishes to Pop and his family.
Pistons 120, Bucks 127 — So Wembanyama had 50 and … did not have the most impressive individual performance of the night, because Giannis Antetokounmpo is really pretty cheesed off and dropped 59-14-7 on the Pistons.
You’re going to need a very significant mound of dirt to bury this team so long as this dude is healthy.
Isaiah Stewart might not have the health and welfare of his fellow NBA players among his priorities. Dirty stuff.
I would not volunteer, but someone on the Bucks needs to get in Stewart’s face after this. Earn your keep, Pat Connaughton!
Clippers 103, Rockets 111 — Good things happen when Tari Eason plays. Ime Udoka has a really difficult job given the depth of the Rockets’ roster, but he’s making the right decision by ensuring Eason gets a good deal of burn.
Suns 104, Kings 127 — Phoenix is 0-2 against Sacramento and 9-1 against the rest of the league. Bradley Beal joined Kevin Durant in street clothes; DeMar DeRozan exited early with back tightness. De’Aaron Fox is just fine doing it himself.
The lid finally came off on the three-pointers for the Kings. 15/28 from deep.
Timberwolves 98, Blazers 106 — Losing back-to-back games in Portland on different floors is a new level of UHHHH WTF for the Timberwolves. Shooting 7/39 from deep — 0/9 for Anthony Edwards — will do it. On his Mark Madsen s—t.
Tensions are running high. (Please stay for the Blazers possession after the shove.)
WOW. Shaedon Sharpe is fully back and setting career highs against teams with championship designs.
Best Blazer. Keep him, Donovan Clingan, Scoot Henderson, Toumani Camara. Everyone else is negotiable.
Grizzlies 123, Lakers 128 — Father Time has his hands on his knees, gasping for air, wondering if he finally met a man he couldn’t beat.
Third straight triple-double for LeBron James, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to accomplish that feat, replacing … LeBron James from five years ago. Yes, LeBron did have the record for oldest player with three straight triple-doubles at age 34 in 2019. He is 39 in 2024. Sheesh.
Schedule
One game only.
Mavericks at Jazz, 9 ET, NBA TV
Back on Friday. Be excellent to each other.
I remember as a Hawks fan when Al Horford starting chucking threes under Coach Bud, and it was definitely a "take your medicine" shot for fans to watch at first, but it did help change the offense and elongate Al's career. Of course, he started shooting lights out once he left the team. (Let's not talk about Josh Smith's three pointers.)
Thank you for that insight Scary