The Victor Wembanyama era has begun
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- čas přidán 1. 11. 2023
- Victor Wembanyama's 8-foot wingspan is redefining the dimensions of basketball. This detailed film breakdown & scouting report explores how the Spurs rookie phenom is using length to dominate on defense and add value on offense.
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Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.
Stats courtesy:
www.pbpstats.com @bballport
www.basketball-reference.com
stats.nba.com
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.
Music by csus (instrumental)
#ThinkingBasketball - Sport
Dropping this right before his 38 point game is crazy
Wemby has been insane. Still unrefined but it's clear to see just how impactful he'll be once he matures
Just thinking that this is his floor is mindboggling.
Definitely. I didn't think we could get a better prospect than Zion this fast. To call Wemby a unicorn would be an understatement.
He's like the Bol Bol of the NBA.
I can only imagine if got taller. He is only 19.
@@phothewin6019 I would go as far as saying he is a worse Brian Scalabrine
But is he, I mean he is good but as of now he isn't even a sure Rookie of the year. His stats are OK but not historical we have seen better rookies with more impact.
Dude is exactly as advertised
He was supposed to come in and average a 30-10-3 with 5 blocks on 60% FG in 70 games and win MVP, DPOY, ROTY and be 1st Team All-NBA and All-Defense while recording an All-Star game record 37 blocks though. I don't know. I'm not impressed.
@@nocturne311 whatever you say man
@@nocturne311No one ever said, that's just your imagination. A LOT of analysts who actually saw him play said his offense would be inconsistent but his defense would be top 10 from day 1. So yeah, he is EXACTLY as advertised.
If being worse than chet and just about as impactful as lively for dallas so far is as advertised then sure...I mean he has real potential but lets pump the breaks a little bit for a change, especialy when he is on pace to break per minute TO record without even really handling the ball and has been as shaky on offense as I was expecting. He will be generational on defense for sure, but people were expecting better version of KD on offense and we are getting a worse version of KP so far.
@@imranxalaminI was being sarcastic and poking fun at fans who are still critical of Wemby. He has been incredible. I'm a longtime Celtics fan and he has been making me tune in to Spurs games. Haha.
That backward drop of the ball is so incredible. He's so tall that he streched almost to a standing dunk, looked at the rim upsidedown, realized it was really close and kind of flicked it in never gaining control of the ball
saw it live and my eyes couldn't process what they were seeing. my brain literally just turned off. had to do a hard reboot just to figure out wtf i just watched
Timestamp?
@@davidf2244 5:11
@@davidf22445:11
😂 it feels like a pigeon flying over your head, and you have an instinct to grab it and it goes in.
The fact that you posted this a day before Wemby embarrassed the Suns with 38 points is a testimony of how good of an analyst you are. Never had doubts but its cool to keep seeing examples of your proficiency so many times
Testimony is the evidence gathered from a witness . Think you meant testament to* lol . And Ps fuck grammar nazis
I expected him to be an impactful defender from Day One, but he's a legit DPOY candidate right now. The very idea that he could get much, much better on both ends is as unfathomable as it feels inevitable.
I think having a decent playmaker at the point will be huge for his offensive game and could make him an all nba level player pretty soon. Spurs lack of playmaking was most obvious in the season opener vs dallas and Lively imo
@@user-qb1se6xc8vit was so bad that I thought they weren’t giving him the ball on purpose. Turns out they’re just scrubs
He's terrifying everywhere, but imagine being the inbounder at the end of this video. Stuck in one place while this giant tarantula flails in front of you in all directions. It's gotta be mind-blowing, even for NBA players.
How are you naming DPOY candidates when it’s only 4 games into the season? Gen Z is so clueless lol….
@@TOGGGAA1 calling people clueless, while you yourself is clearly not understanding whats being said, is really rich. Has all the years in the mine finally catch up to you, grandpa?
Would love to see more rookie content - why is scoot struggling, what is Brandon Miller’s upside in charlotte, how has Dereck Lively changed Dallas’s offense and defense
Lively is killing it. I love to see it even as a Spurs fan, I want to see Luka Magic in the playoffs some more. At least until the Spurs get there in a few years lol.
I agree. My two cents on Miller is that he might really end up being the right pick. He is just SUPER smooth. He seems very patient, and mature, sort of picks his spots so he can shoot over people. I like his game.
But you know, 4 or 5 games or whatever.
💯
and ASAUR thompson
@@BrandishingWeapons "HOOP VENUE" JUS DID A REALLY GOOD VIDEO ON AUSAR THE OTHER DAY💯HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT IF UR A FAN OF THE THOMPSON BROS💯
It’s not just his height, it’s the fact that he knows how to utilize it. He’s gonna be absolutely terrifying in 2-3 years.
*immediately
jumping with 1 hand to contest the 3 then reaching out and extending the other arm to block it🤯🤯
Victor has the potential to be the most impactful player ever; he can literally do everything on the court.
Yeah nah...I mean, sure, but then again anyone has that potential in theory. In reality there is absolutly no way to run offense thru him. He isnt great at anything, but solid at everything. Cant really postup consistently, cant take people off the dribble consistantly, cant playmake from the elbow, nothing special from 3, cant sett a decent pick...he could very well be most impactful defender ever, but I dont see a way where he has a huge positive impact on offense. Which is totaly fine but yall have to pump the brakes just abit.
@@whocares3201who could as a rookie?
@@K-Dot94 many players could. It isnt about being efficient but having a clear way forward for generating consistant offense. One could see how you could consistantly run an effective offense thru Luka or even Trae in their rookie years for example, even if they were not as polished. Wemby looks like a jack of all trades, master of none on the offense...which is fine but it also limits the upside and will probably need to play 2nd option to some other consistant creator on offense. As said, defense is another thing, he could be the goat on that side if he keeps healthy.
@@K-Dot94remember what ppl said about bolbol?
@@whocares3201 literally none could do everything you just said, none, and thene even a select few could do all of them at all
Was waiting for Ben's breakdown of Wemby. This kid is going to be a super star.
he did one on nba’s channel a while back if you can find it
@@sangrybird I watched it! But that was before the season had started so I was really looking forward to his breakdown after seeing a few games of him.
Oh definitely! Wemby should be decent too 👌
Superstar? He’s not a great passer, shooter, rebounder, or scorer. What says he’s going to be a superstar? Because he’s tall?
@@YungPhilosopherif you can’t see his skill set already idk what game you been watching.
What I like about Wemby the most is how humble and first to say that he is still learning.
Thank you for showing his teammates not being used to playing with. Lots of people are creating a false narrative that his teammates hate him and are jealous of, hence why they don’t pass as often, but it is obvious they are not used to someone being open for a lob nearly every other play since Spurs bball consists of constant ball movement. Once they get more reps and exp and maximise Wemby’s scoring opportunities, the Spurs will be dangerous
No they wont
Teammates love winning more than they love hating.
yup. I have read a lot of comments about how Vassel don't want to pass to him but as Devin admitted after the game, he is still learning to play with Wemby and he wanted the team to improve on that aspect. That dunk he stole from Sochan was actually Devin's fault initially but he did acknowledged missing Wemby and made up for it by directing Keldon to pass the ball to Wemby. Even Sochan did not realized that Wemby was already ahead of him until the last moment.
case in point: today. when the suns caught up to the spurs, his teammates started lobbing him the ball more often.
I think its a pretty natural thing playing in a team sport to try adapting to new teammates. Especially ones with their skillset being almost out of this world. But when Popp has enough film and his teammates get enough reps, they will all know how to get creative enough to get Wemby the ball to money spots. Especially when most of that starting lineup are tall wings anyway who can pass over generally small defenders.
Give Victor time and he'll see the game slow down, he's on the right track for greatness.
All the Wemby blocks get the highlights, but the real highlights are the shots that he didnt block. He alters so many shots not shown in the statsheet. He's leading nba in lowest opponent shooting % right now.
You are right.
Man the league shouldn’t allow him in the league lol
@@easylife6348right , or they should at least ban the skyhook
I’m just waiting until he realizes he can go baseline in one step and just lay it up. He’s done it a few times and the defenders were caught off guard.
This was released too early, Victor just had 38 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks a while ago vs Suns 🔥🔥
he’s a little inconsistent offensively but he is everything and more on the defensive end, insane player to watch
Have you watched todays game? A little inconsistent? Nah bro he’s climbing. He’s consistently getting better, man hasn’t even played a handful of season games.
@@xSCHEFtoday's game was scary
@@xSCHEF he's a 19 year old rookie. He's still a bit inconsistent offensively and undisciplined defensively. He's already really good but his ceiling is absurd. I think he'll be considered a top 5 player next season and arguably the best player by year 3.
Recorded this right before his huge 38-10 game lol
The kid has crazy defensive potential. The rip in the preseason had me wonder if I actually saw it happen. I watched it live and still can't believe he was able to make a strip on the ball from such distance
This aged well
I watch a lot of Vintage basketball and for years I’ve tried to wrap my head around how Bill Russell was so dominant. I have the answer now. Wemby to me is the closest thing we will see to Russell. Athletically and physically. They even hold their arms the same and have the same mannerism. Go check out some old Russell footage and this is what you will see. Length leaping ability and elite anticipation.
OK, this guy is something else. Wins the rebounds without even bothering to jump. I look at that repeatedly, and its basically how I used to toy with my baby brother. What a beast!
I like watching things that aren’t supposed to happen. Wemby and Zion are my two favorites.
I still don't know why the media kept on hyping up his 3 point shot when it's clearly a work in progress. But wow, his defensive highlights are fun to watch.
I think it is because of his shooting motion looks already very good. But the consistency is not yet their. So the potential is their, but to early to tell if he will ever get consistent in that shot. But some bigs you know it will never come.
I think he should work on his 3, because I consider it essential for all players now, but he needs to cut out all the dribble moves. I think that is just to show off, and it really isn't a strength. Plus, that puts stress on his ankles.
He is a good free throw shooter which historically is usually a pretty good indicator. He also has pretty good rhythm on the shot, so I don’t think it’s a stretch to see him become decent.
You made this video right before he dropped 38 and 10.
We’ve seen other bigs come in to the league and we have aspirations of them becoming ALL TIME greats ( AD, KAT, Zion) and after year 5, it becomes apparent they’re not gonna be that.
I’m confident in saying Wemby legit can be top 10-15 all time if he stays healthy. From what I’ve seen, so far that’s the only thing that’ll hold him back. He literally has everything else you could want in an all time great. Insane Skill/talent, desire to be great, and mature mindset
love this, love you guys.! Keep up the great content!
The ceiling to each kind of categories (Strength, size, IQ etc. ) in basketball, has reach to an insane level
I randomly found this video and watched it immediately before the second game tonight and it made everything better 🎉
People are underselling his height. He's 7'3.5" in his socks. Most guys who have been listed at 7'4" have been 7'2.5" to 7'3" in their socks. Victor was noticeably taller than 7'4" Zach Edey when they took a photo next to each other, and was noticeably taller than Mark Eaton when you scale both to a mutual photograph with Rudy Gobert. Meaning it's best, for a sense of context with other NBA players, to describe him as 7'5". Also, his length is freakish on top of it. His standing reach of roughly 9'11" is 3" higher than Yao Ming, who was listed at 7'6". On top of being much more mobile and springy than Yao. It's just terrifying.
Exactly so blocking and his length is what's not even fair
January 2024. He is a different player than at the beginning of the season, you can tell he learns fast. The game has slowed down a bit for him already and he is only getting more and more oppressive in defence. He is blocking 4.25 shots per game in his last 5 games, it's silly. His offense is still a work in progress but he has all the building blocks. Long term is terrifying for the rest of the league, he is only going to get bigger, stronger, faster and more accurate.
Exactly that's why he is truly ain't shit and is cheat code so that's not talent buddy be smiling and just feeling all good about himself like that's not what he should be doing . At this point if he doesn't win 5 rings before his career is over than it was all pointless. I am impressed with his shooting and guard way of playing
You had me from “blocking 3s from drop coverage”.
the enrds will have fun this year figuring out how you define what counts as open with Wemby on the floor.
Video came out too early 😭
Love the video highlighting highs and lows as he's allowed to be both someone who changes the game and a rookie.
always so organized and very intuitive, thanks for the great clip 👍👍👍
Great video, love all the examples!
On the first example of a block on a closeout for a threepointer, its awesome. Funnily enough, Herb Jones did exactly the same to SGA, just in their last game against the Thunder. I'm really excited to see where Wemby will be going, the Spurs already are a dangerous team now, which is really early in their process.
I love watching this kid play. He's so unique and entertaining. And he seems to be developing daily into a beast before our eyes
Wemby only being 19 is crazyyyyy. The defense is wild being so young
Great video! It’s crazy to watch this video right after the spurs played the suns again. We seen all of what you said and more when he dropped 38.😮
I feel because it’s amazing to watch him play, you should make a similar video a month or so from now giving a further recap. It’s like seeing his best highlights + great commentary and explanations of how great he is and how it’s possible. Please more
who's here after his 38 point game?
My favourit clip is by far KD shooting a running fadeaway midranger. I've never seen such a shot from him, where he isn't bigger or faster than the defender, and have to shoot really off balance. Even when well defended, the pressure is usually down at the base, not up top. This shoot looked like the everyday Klay Thompson crazy midranger, so I have to think that if KD was normal sized, he would be something like Klay with better handles and playmaking.
Oh, and Wemby is an alien, but I'm not happy how he can just run up and down the court for minutes without touching the ball or materially impacting defense. Pop should not let that happen.
I think the young team is a mistake. They need to start putting good vets around Victor now.
@@shorewall I hella beg to differ. Wemby is essentially playing with vets for teammates now outside of Sochan who have at least 3-4 years of NBA experience who are primarily role players. Spurs should NOT oversell to be an immediate 30+ win team just because their Alien rookie is showing amazing flashes. Stink it up for another 2 years and let this current crop get used to playing with Wemby because that is a skill in of itself. Even if the Spurs start getting those vets, they still gotta get used to playing alongside Wemby.
I have been waiting weeks for this video. Top quality as always. Now already anticipating the follow up video breaking down all the insane statistical influence Wemby has on the Spurs defence over bigger sample size
There is something out there, I don't think it is on YT but, it says that when shooters are guarded by Wemby they shoot 20% from inside the 3 pt line and 7% from beyond the 3 pt line
Love watching Wemby. Please continue to cover him. His progress in the NBA is fascinating.
This video aged like Gold in less than 24 hours later he has his career high 38 points 😂🐐🔥
As another comment said, he’s exactly as advertised. Yeah unfortunately he’s not rookie LeBron, because well they are completely different types of players. But people thought he was gonna get bullied by the nba because of whatever stupid reason (he’s obviously not gonna get bullied when he can get the ball away from 6’10” players. He’s also 237lbs which is 17lbs more than the average nba player. He’s also been as good in defence as we expected a 19 year old to be, he scores a decent amount of points in the minutes he’s given (Popovic clearly wants to not over exert him) and he can shoot threes.
Let’s be honest, we all knew he wasn’t gonna come in and score 50 points a game, but he’s doing a lot more than we thought he would. Like those crazy dunks and alleyoops from the 3 point line.
Imo, he’s reached expectations already. Not the all time goat expectations that some people stupidly put on him, but he isn’t getting stopped by many players, he’s defending pretty well, and he can shoot. What else do you want from him when he’s not having to carry Cleveland because he’s on a team that has a coach that knows what he’s doing.
All rookie content would be awesome. Victor seems to be he’s feel for the NBA really quickly. I still have fear for his long term fitness. He’s so lean and so versatile. I hope the Spurs are guarding his health and development with care. I’m not even a Spurs fan but I’m invested.
One of the best things was at the end of the game seeing how much joy and emotion Wemby showed. He was much more excited than his teammates and that says a lot about his attitude. Its gonna be a fun season.
Victor has to be in the top 4 of the most impactful defensive players this year.
saw a stat on twitter that he has the lowest opponent fg% in the league at 20% through 4 games. and thats after durant cooked him a few times on halloween. cant wait for the rematch tonight. i fully expect the suns to win after how the last game ended lol, but its fun watching Wemby and the other young guys no matter what.
This kid is going to be be an all time great. Physically beyond freaky and if you watch his interviews, he has a great mind, a willingness to learn, and a humble sense about himself. Very rare combo with top 10 all timer potential.
Great player, awesome vid
amazing video thanks!
He def gonna be a 99 ovr once he gets settled in 😂😂
What's crazy about wemby is how he always seems to step up in the 4th quarter
This video was prophetic
Great breakdown!
That's crazy he affected the inbound and still bothered that KD deep fade at the end. As you pointed out he definitely squeezed it off early when he peeped that alien hand coming.
Cynical Take for the purpose of contrast (theres so much praise already, heres just some points for the sake of it):
- He still looks very "herky-jerky" (change of direction and balance with such long levers on his joints) and that makes me nervous for long term health
- The NBA isn't used to his size yet, and when they play him more, he will become less effective. Lots of his blocks have been when shooter has not realized the open shot they have isn't actually open.
- Even for all the "alien" comparisons, 46/26/70 splits with 5 TOV per game aren't all nba level like people said he would make in his rookie year.
Again, just wanted to make a comment with critiques since everyone already knows all the upsides. I'm going to love watching this kid develop over the years and see things change in the league due to his traits. Great video again!
He will even add still insane value by players changing their shot selection even without blocks. I think his potential is that high that he could become DPOY without a single block(which of course will never happen)
@@TheChessRunner Definitely, there's a lot of value into purely dissuading a shot with presence alone. Don't know how to track that unfortunately
This is NUTS! Great video!
Cool. Thanks for sharing.
He's not a raw prospect. He already is polished. Just a little refinement and he will conpete with the best the league has to offer.
his offense is stil raw, very inneficient even for a rookie
Wemby and Chet will be like Wilt and Russell, the 2020s could be the greatest era we've seen
2020 and 2021 are going to hold it back. Let's pump the brakes a bit.
@@nocturne311Man you’re just pure negativity in this comment section huh
@@nocturne3112020 was fire
Coming back to this in 2030
Chet isn't good enough to be Wemby's opposite number. Who Wemby challenges is Jokic & Giannis
Love this channel
The fact he is this good this quick and yet there still so many things he can improve upon... Good luck NBA
He is tall and long as shit
I’m happy he’s playing well. Everyone who was crying about his hype finally sees why
Probably the same dudes who complained about Luka being 3rd. Dudes still don't understand that being good among literal pros is far more impressive than college basketball.
@@calamorta I’m still surprised that luka didn’t go #1. I was telling everybody I knew that luka should be the first pick
Funny you say people were crying about him playing much worse than the hype but declare he is playing well after he had 1 great game. Before this monster game he was averaging 16 points and 7 rebounds on 46/26/70 splits. For any top pick those are underwhelming numbers but those are horrible numbers for a guy that was hyped as the best prospect since LeBron. He needs to keep having these games more often to match the amount of hype he had. Chet is playing much better than him so far and Miller is at least comparable.
@@davorbeljan4369 I think you misunderstood my comment, because idk where you got “people were crying about him him playing much worse than his hype” that was never implied. And do you know how much Lebron averaged in his first 5 games? 16.8 points, take out his best game (like you did for wemby) he only averaged 14.75 😬 I’d say those number are horrendous. Pretty crazy to think when you take away the best game in a 5 game sample size the average drops pretty low
@@braidenb3973 You said people were crying about the hype thinking he didnt deserve it implying he has played well enough so far to prove them wrong. I am saying that with his play in these 5 games he hasnt proven them wrong, his only above average game was this last one. I dont know what LeBron has to do with this, I never claimed LeBron exceeded the hype his first 5 games. I only took out his last game to show how his stats now are misleading because iz is much different to average 20 while doing it every game then suckimg 4 games and then dropping 38 on Great efficiency.
and the next day you posted this video this kid posted 38 points on KD and booker
Great video. 🔥
Love your work Ben! Thanks so much for putting some of the best technical basketball content on youtube out there for us noobs to eat up.
Just wanted to give Keldon Johnson some credit for that last contest. Check out the contest from 7:10 through to 7:13 in slowed frame-rate. Johnson didn't block the shot but look how much space he took away, and the positioning of his contesting hand was all the way up Durant's line of sight.
It could have been Victor, but considering how late he got into Durant's vision it seems like KD actually missed for a change or (more likely) Johnson's contest screwed up his line of sight all the way from the shot pocket through to release. Durant can hit shots without seeing the basket, because he's an amazing worker and shooter... but it's going to be a lot tougher when the contest is that good.
You should've saved this video for later my guy 😂
I pray with all my being that his career isnt cut short by injuries, with his frame very likely but I truly wish it would play out more like KD's.
Your videos are great. Actually informative. Everybody thought skinny man couldn’t hack it, they forgot about KD
Its amazing when someone lives up to, or even exceeds the hype. It always feels like the start of something huge. The best compliment I heard about Wembanyama was 'he makes the court seem smaller". Its so true with that 8 ft wing span, he blocks shots he has no business even getting an attempt at. Best prospect Ive seen since LeBron. And the guy can do EVERYTHING on offense. Last game I saw he was bringing the ball up the court himself lol, a 7'3" dude. And he can hit 3s!
Too bad this video was made before last night
And then the next night after this was published, he drops 38 and 10 in his fifth NBA game. What a generational talent.
You couldn't of timed this video better. His performance last night was ridiculous...
I love the word “xenomorph”-thank you for using it!
who's hear after his near 40 masterclass
Wemby is absolutely astonishing. Unicorn is an understatement.
He's like the Bol Bol of the NBA.
Perfect time to put this out. Wemby just dominating an "inner circle" team today. They shot beyond their talent today, but I feel it was a water shed moment today for the Spurs and Wemby's place in their offence. Please let him stay healthy.
Awesome break down as always. Would love to see you analyze one of the most underrated PG's of all time in my opinion, Andre Miller. Nobody could ever speed that guys up. He had a great career.
The next Wilt Chamberlain
There's only been a handful of superstars that played at that level their rookie year. The sky is the limit for this kid.
That played at that superstar level*
He's not playing at a superstar level yet. He is playing at a potential All-Star and DPOY candidate level though.
@nocturne311 I'm not saying he is. He's projected to be one. I was explaining almost all of the superstars we see nowadays started out NOT playing at that level. Just like Wemby.
This is incredible commentary
Game by game you can see his confidence growing. Fun to watch.
lost it @ 2:30 the transition like wemby's strategically kicking ppl in the face
You should have waited one day to make this video lol. He just absolutely dismantled the Suns.
So excited to see how Wemby plays in the future!
He's still such a raw prospect yet already has a huge impact on the game. His biggest problem is obviously fouling, but that can be fixed with experience. Hope we get to see a long and successful career for this young man he's special
Im back after he drop 38 points on kd and booker
He's still struggling a bit on offense, but his defense is surefire.
He seems to have great attitude/personality and ill be rooting for him 🙏
4:58 this made me laugh so hard hahaha. great video bro!
Bro just dropped 38 points in his 5th career game. If he stays injury free he’s for sure going top 20 minimum all time.
He's insane to watch. He's incredible on the defensive side of the ball. I just wish he'd stop putting thru his legs lol. His offense with the ball is so clunky. Once he realizes how to play efficient offense he's gonna be scary.
We are so blessed to be alive .
Wishing for this kid to be healthy and stay healthy
Man you made this video just a bit too soon lol
Wow I'm scared of that boy 😭😭😭😭 I hope he stays healthy and just adds strength and he will be a PROBLEM
I was trying to tell some 0:30 is not normal. That's a normal 3 pointer. I'm so happy they showed a "normal" example and a "Wemby" example.
I love this guy. Pretty much will stop anything I’m doing to watch him.