The San Antonio Spurs‘ title push came to a disappointing end on Saturday night. After a 94-90 loss in Game 5, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs saw the NBA championship slip right through their fingers, sending them into the offseason on a heartbreaking note.
While there is undoubtedly an air of frustration in San Antonio, given how young the team is, there is also a sense of optimism. Shaquille O’Neal highlighted this on “Inside the NBA” after the Spurs’ NBA Finals defeat, offering some encouraging advice for Victor Wembanyama.
When acknowledging Wembanyama’s potential to be a dominant center, along with the fact that he’s only 22 years old, O’Neal shared:
“I say this with respect about Wemby. As good as he is, he’s going to need to get stronger. Because when you become a dominant big man, people are going to force, and a lot of times he couldn’t handle that… I don’t know what he’s going to do this summer, but he definitely needs to get in that weight room and get stronger.”
Strength has always been a point of criticism of Wembanyama’s game. While the Spurs’ superstar is incredibly gifted on both ends of the floor, barring his length and height, he isn’t the most intimidating physical specimen.
For the most part, Victor Wembanyama has maintained that he doesn’t wish to gain excessive muscle weight, primarily to ensure he remains flexible and nimble. But considering how teams have been playing him, especially in the playoffs, it may be time for the 22-year-old to embrace an approach that enables him to do both.
Victor Wembanyama Must Improve His Post Play
Victor Wembanyama has already asserted himself as an elite defensive presence and floor-spacing threat, fitting the template for the modern big man. However, given his height, many believe that he isn’t fully capitalizing on his physical tools.
Although Wembanyama has shown the potential to dominate on the inside, there is some room to argue that he hasn’t fully developed his post game. Thus, with the intention of helping the Spurs’ big man eventually win a ring, former NBA player Brendan Haywood suggested that Wembanyama focus on improving as a post player.
“David Robinson and Tim Duncan live in San Antonio. You need to get a back-to-the-basket game that allows you to take advantage of the fact that you’re 7’5″,” Haywood claimed. “When you’re 7’5,” and you’re hitting jump shots, step-backs, or fadeaways, even if you hit them, the other team does not care because you’re not getting them in foul trouble. You’re not in the paint. You’re not demoralizing them by dunking the ball.”
“When you’re 7’5″, the goal for you every night is for the other team to look at the stat sheet at the end of every night and just be like, ‘He killed us in the paint. He made us feel that he was 7’5″.'”
“I think he needs to get his jab series down. Like, Wemby can hit a mid-range shot, but he’s not a mid-range scorer,” he continued. “Wemby is a guy that can hit a mid-range shot because he’s talented, but he’s not a mid-range scorer yet. Those face-ups that David Robinson used to have? Get all that. Learn from the Admiral. The jump hooks, the running hooks, get all that… 7’5″ got to play like 7’5″.”
While it can be argued that Haywood’s suggestion seems rudimentary, his justification and analysis of how Victor Wembanyama could take advantage of certain matchups certainly hold.
At 7’5″, there are only a handful of players in the NBA who can actually guard Wembanyama. However, should the Spurs’ superstar expand his offensive arsenal, along with his core strength, there is no telling what he could be capable of.
Compared to his previous seasons, Wembanyama displayed a willingness to dominate closer to the basket this year, attempting 11.4 two-point field goals per game. Given that he shot 53.4% from this range, though, there is some room for improvement.
With averages of 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game on 51.2% shooting from the floor in the regular season, Victor Wembanyama was impressive. Still, considering how important it will be for him to keep improving, San Antonio may also see the value in cultivating his offensive skill set.
