Tag: Reshaping

NBA

The hype was real. Maybe even undersold. In his second season, Wemby isn’t just on pace to be an all-time great; he’s literally changing the game.

NBAThe hype was real. Maybe even undersold. In his second season, Wemby isn’t just on pace to be an all-time great; he’s literally changing the game.

Less than six months after a heartbreaking loss in the gold medal game of the 2024 Olympics, Victor Wembanyama finds himself back inside Paris’s Accor Arena. This time, he’s the main attraction. The greatest basketball prospect in France’s history is surrounded by hundreds of reporters in a makeshift press conference room tucked beneath the arena’s bleachers. He’s effortlessly fielding questions in both French and English, jumping between themes and languages with thoughtfulness and poise. 

As dozens of cameras train on his face, the prince of Paris seems right at home at the center of the basketball world.

In Wembanyama, pro hoops has found not just a new global superstar, but someone whose potential is so unique that it could reshape what greatness looks like on the floor. Halfway through his sophomore campaign, the San Antonio Spurs’ phenom center is in Paris for two historic games against the Indiana Pacers. It’s his first real action in his hometown since the Olympics. That was only five months ago, but Wembanyama is already a different player than he was then. 

Wembanyama once told reporters, about a month into his NBA career, that “this is probably the worst Victor we’ll ever see.” He was right. Wembanyama began his first season—which ended with Rookie of the Year honors—as the 67th-ranked player on The Ringer‘s Top 100 rankings. Just over one year later, he now ranks sixth. 

The wildest part of Wembanyama’s ascent is that his statement remains true: This is still probably the worst Victor we’ll ever see. At just 21 years old, Wembanyama is by far the youngest player in the top 10. Luka Doncic, the next youngest, is 25 and has logged 472 NBA games. Wemby? Just 107. He won’t be Doncic’s current age until 2029, and he likely won’t be sixth at that point, either. If current trends continue, the most ascendant star in the sport may not even reach his prime until the 2030s. 

San Antonio’s budding cornerstone is clearly on the path to greatness, but what exactly makes him great? Wembanyama’s limitless potential is self-evident—watch literally any Spurs game—but as he continues to harness his abilities, the specific ways he transforms the game are becoming clear, starting with the way he impacts winning.

Last year, the Spurs won 26.8 percent of their games. This year, they’ve hovered around 50 percent. That uptick in winning percentage is one of the biggest in the league; it’s also a sign that the team’s high-stakes rebuild is working. And while San Antonio’s key indicators—an 18th-ranked offense and a 17th-ranked defense—suggest that this year’s squad isn’t great at much, a closer look reveals something else: Wembanyama is already one of the most impactful players in the NBA.

When Wemby’s on the court, the Spurs resemble a playoff team. He’s logged 60.3 percent of the team’s total minutes this season, and in these possessions, San Antonio boasts a slightly above-average offense, anchored by a downright elite defense. It’s a familiar blueprint for a franchise that has won more titles over the past 30 seasons than any other NBA team—a proud legacy built on Tim Duncan, depth, and dominant defense. Wembanyama’s sophomore success hints at a similar structure, updated for today’s pace-and-space era, but the numbers say that surrounding their star with talent has become the central task for the Spurs front office. 

Victor Wembanyama On/Off Numbers

Stat	Overall (NBA Rank)	Wemby On (NBA Rank)	Wemby Off (NBA Rank)
Net	-1.8 (19)	3.7 (8)	-9.8 (29)
Offense	111.6 (18)	112.1 (17)	106.0 (29)
Defense	113.3 (17)	108.4 (5)	115.8 (25)

These drastic differentials are jarring. The off-court markers reveal that the ensemble isn’t fully formed, but the on-court figures reflect Wembanyama’s dominance. In 2025, basketball has changed, and the job description for a big man on defense has changed with it. It still includes timeless tasks like rim protection, shot blocking, and rebounding, but in an era defined by tempo, wide-open spaces, and long-range shooting, it also now includes elements like switching defensive assignments and contesting 3s.

Wemby comes equipped with a fully modernized operating system. His physical gifts immediately made him a legit NBA prospect—they’re also the reason he’s won an eye-popping 81 percent of his jump balls this season, the best among all players that have competed in at least 30 jump balls, according to NBA Advanced Stats—but Wembanyama is more than just a raw defensive pogo stick. He also has a fantastic basketball IQ and a competitive mindset that combine to make him the best shot defender on earth.  

Monsieur Wembanyama’s Arrondissement

Wembanyama changes the offensive calculus of the opponent. LeBron James found out the hard way. On November 27 in San Antonio, James was backing down Harrison Barnes on the left wing. When he sensed an opportunity to attack, he turned over his left shoulder and powered past Barnes with the exact kind of physical rim attack that has made James the league’s all-time leading scorer. As he reached the crown of the restricted area, he rose up for a finger roll he’s made hundreds of times before, but this time, just as he released the ball inches from the rim, Wembanyama’s right hand slapped it viciously away. Barnes recovered the ball and raced down the court. 

Wembanyama leads the league in blocks. Duh. But it’s moments like this, when he transforms LeBron layups into fast-break opportunities for his own team, that capture why he’s the runaway favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year in just his second season. 

An average NBA game includes 82 total paint shots. And despite the league’s rising obsession with 3-pointers, the most important dance floor in the league remains the 16-foot-wide rectangle that surrounds the hoop, and whoever wins the dance-off near the basket often wins the game. Wembanyama has a knack for turning promising waltzes toward the rim into ballets through the catacombs.  

These sought-after shot attempts and their signature efficiency underpin the exact kind of Daryl Morey–inspired shot-selection dogma that has forever changed the look and feel of the league. This season, an average restricted area shot goes in 67.8 percent of the time. If there’s one single stat that defines Wembanyama’s impact right now, it might be this one: When he’s the contesting defender, shots in the restricted area go in only 46.9 percent of the time!

His presence turns the paint into the damn midrange. 

The up-and-coming Spurs don’t lead the league in many important defensive metrics just yet, but they already rank first in field goal percentage allowed in the restricted area; opponents are converting just 62.8 percent of their shots in this key zone against San Antonio, and that league-leading figure dips down to 59.2 percent when Wemby is on the floor. Wemby contests shots at the rack more than eight times per game; in other words, Wembanyama is helping San Antonio turn bunnies into bricks twice every quarter.

What those numbers don’t capture is all of the shots opponents don’t take because of Wembanyama’s presence. Call it the fear factor, but opponents are less active in the paint when he’s on the floor. Offensive players attempt only 45.6 shots per 100 possessions in the paint when Wemby plays, compared to 52.0 when he doesn’t. 

These nerdy numbers all add up to one big fact: This dude changes the geography of NBA basketball. If every team had a Wemby patrolling the rim, the entire shot chart of the league would look vastly different. The most efficient shot types become not only less efficient, but also less common. Above all, this ability to reduce both the frequency and efficiency of interior scoring is Wemby’s calling card and the Spurs’ biggest advantage.

But stats are one thing. Vibes are another, and Wemby’s true impact is visceral. The sheer intimidation of his monstrous presence must be seen to be believed. Using new pose-tracking data from the NBA and SportRadar, we are able to visualize Wemby’s impacts in new ways. This animation shows all of his shot blocks from this month so far.  

As you can see, his enormous 8-foot wingspan isn’t just for show. A vast majority of Wemby’s blocks occur very close to the rim, and he interrupts the flight of many close-range shots near the apex of their arc. Not only does Wembanyama lead the NBA in blocks, but, according to data provided to The Ringer by SportRadar analyst Todd Whitehead, he also leads the league in blocks above 10 feet in the air. He gets to shots nobody else can.

Wembanyama’s unprecedented blend of stature and athleticism makes him nearly impossible to score on. His length is one thing, but it’s his feel for the game, his quickness, and his ability to block shots with both hands that combine to make him the best shot defender in the league already.

Earlier this week in Paris, I asked Wembanyama about his development as an NBA defender in his first 100 games. “I know I’m not there yet. I’m still working on it,” he said, adding, “Defensively, it’s adapting to the opponents’ adaptations. It’s always a back-and-forth, kind of like a chess game.”

Wemby’s defensive dominance does put a sort of target on his back. Viral highlights of Wembanyama getting dunked on have become a recurring subgenre of the NBA internet—Coby White, Ja Morant, to name a couple of recent examples. These “David-dunking-on-Goliath” moments may dominate TikTok feeds, but the aggregate stats tell a different story: These triumphs are rare exceptions, not the rule.

It’s the rim protector’s gambit. To be the NBA’s most dominant interior defender, you must accept the occasional posterization. It’s not a matter of if—it’s a matter of when. And just as importantly, it’s a question of how, as in how the defender reacts to what others might perceive as a humiliating moment. Some retreat and then avoid those moments altogether—a “business decision.” But these viral moments haven’t affected Wembanyama’s confidence, which makes him even more terrifying for the rest of the league. 

“I don’t regret anything because learning comes through a lot of mistakes.”

Wembanyama doesn’t make business decisions. In fact, he inspires them. Wembanyama is one of the few defenders who causes offensive players to make U-turns away from the rim. 

Where Wemby Can Improve

Compared to his defense, Wembanyama’s offense is still a work in progress, but again, the progress report is stunning. Earlier this season, he became the fourth-youngest NBA player to record a 50-point game. (Yes, it happened against the Wizards, but technically, it still counts as an NBA game.) That night, Wembanyama put it all together, hitting 18 of his 29 shots and blending unstoppable rim attacks with excellent long-range shooting. It was the second-fastest 50-point game in history, in terms of time on the court, with Wemby hitting the 50-point mark in just 26 minutes of action. 

Overall, his scoring efficiency is improving despite the fact that he’s shooting almost 19 times per game, more than veteran scorers like Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell. 

The biggest growth has been in his jump shot. His 3-point percentage has climbed over 35 percent, and his numbers inside the arc are up, too. The youngster can score from everywhere, but as he himself says, “I know I’m not there yet,” which raises a question: How can he get even better? One recurring question around the team is whether he relies on his jumper too much and rim attacks too little. It’s fair to ask. Consider this statistical couplet:

1. Wemby’s average shot distance is 17.8 feet away from the basket. 
2. Forty-eight percent of his shots are coming from beyond the arc, while just 21 percent come at the rim. 

It’s clear that his superpowers are near the basket on both ends of the court. Perhaps the most impressive offensive play of his career—and the second-most-viewed highlight ever on NBA social channels—came when he turned a sloppy Boston turnover at mid-court into a spectacular dunk, in part by spanning a ridiculous 39 feet in his final dribble, according to Whitehead. This animation of the NBA’s pose-tracking data shows the alien dunk along with the strides and path of the basketball.

He has begun to assert these superpowers consistently on defense, but not so much on offense. When he attacks the teeth of the defense, his numbers are elite. Of 92 players that have tried at least 200 shots in the paint this season, he ranks fourth in efficiency, averaging 1.46 points per shot. That’s incredible for a player who just turned 21, but still, it seems strange that Wembanyama currently ranks 41st in points in the paint per game, trailing players like Scottie Barnes, Deandre Ayton, and Mark Williams. 

Simply put, he’s not leveraging his close-range prowess enough. Physically, he’s not fully formed, and like many young players, he’s not yet strong enough to overpower many of the league’s interior defenders. That will change over time. His footwork and feel inside the arc will improve. Still, halfway through year two, his shot diet can sometimes seem misaligned with his talent. His tendency to loiter beyond the 3-point line can seem passive. Two things can be true. First, the youngster should be afforded a few years to grow into his own game, and second, the numbers don’t lie—he was put on earth to dominate basketball games near the cup, and these three indicators prove that the 7-foot-3 prodigy needs to adjust his shot diet going forward.

1. He ranks 49th in layups and dunks per game. 
2. He ranks 12th in jumpers per game.
3. He is one of 32 players to try at least 100 2-point shots outside the paint this season; however, among this group, he ranks 30th in conversion rate, sinking only 34.2 percent of those attempts. 

The table below reveals just how much more lethal his scoring is inside. 

Victor Wembanyama by Scoring Area (Data via Second Spectrum)

Stat	FGA	Share	Points per Shot
Paint	236	34.7%	1.46
Midrange	117	17.2%	0.70
3-Pointers	328	48.2%	1.07
Totals	702	100%	1.13

For a 21-year-old, these aren’t slights—they are opportunities. As he matures into his prime, both he and his coaches need to find ways to exchange some of those jumpers for more paint shots. 

The Future

Wembanyama’s ascent underlines how quickly things can change in the NBA. The 2010s seemed to herald the demise of big men. Those rumors turned out to be greatly exaggerated, but something was indeed changing. Mike Budenholzer and Pero Antic symbolically ended Roy Hibbert’s career in the 2014 playoffs, and championship teams like the Heat and Warriors thrived without the traditional, plodding big men who’d been mainstays of pro hoops rosters for decades. Michael Jordan’s Bulls had Bill Wennington and Luc Longley. The 2008 Celtics had Kendrick Perkins. In retrospect, these guys seem like NPCs on their own teams. But they weren’t. They mattered. Until they didn’t.

“Small ball” was always a misnomer. The defining teams of the 2010s didn’t win because their bigs were small—they won because their bigs were athletic, skilled, and versatile. When Erik Spoelstra put Chris Bosh and Shane Battier in the frontcourt, it wasn’t about size; it was about having five players who could run, dribble, pass, and shoot. When Steve Kerr slid Draymond Green to center, it unlocked an offense where every person on the court could create plays, not just finish them. Coaches knew that “going small” would cost them in some ways, but they also knew that “going skilled” would outweigh those costs.

Now, at the halfway point of the 2020s, the game has turned again. Nikola Jokic is indisputably the best player in the world. He’s not small. He’s not fast. So what is he? He’s skilled AF, that’s what. Denver’s massive Serbian center has won three of the league’s past four MVPs. Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid—two other international big men—he’s brought pro basketball into an undeniable post-small-ball era. Instead of peacefully fading into obsolescence, these big men updated their software and are back with a vengeance. 

After Jokic and the Nuggets won it all in 2023, Jalen Rose said it best on ESPN’s postgame set: “Call an archaeologist—the dominant big man is back.” Ten days later, the San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with the no. 1 pick in the draft. 

Now, Wembanyama is taking the resurgence of the big man to new heights. Blending “guard-like” skill and movement with unprecedented size is the next step in the skill-ball era, and Wemby is the harbinger. In his second season, he’s the runaway favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, and he also became the fourth-youngest offensive player to score 50 points in a game. But accolades like this tell just part of the story. NBA history is littered with MVPs and All-Stars, but only a few players truly changed the game. If his first one and a half seasons are any indication, the young Frenchman will be one of them. That is his true ceiling.