On an MVP tear, Victor Wembanyama averaged 33.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 6.0 blocks per game across his three contests last week, all San Antonio Spurs wins. Those numbers tell roughly half the story of his dominance, as his vastly expanded and more aggressive offensive game now make him nearly as dangerous on the attack as he is on defense.
Similarly, the usual rim-protection numbers he’s produced undersell his actual impact. Sure, Spurs’ opponents attempted 9.1 percent fewer shots at the rim with Wemby on the floor, and they finished those shots 10.3 percent less accurately. But those numbers come nowhere close to capturing the way Wembanyama alters the flow of the game defensively.
Put simply: Paint touches, arguably the most important aspect of modern NBA offense, are basically worthless with Wemby around.
Every offense wants to threaten the rim by getting the ball into the lane, whether via a drive, a diving roll man or a crisp pass. Defenses have to scramble, rotate and compromise themselves to put out that fire. Those compromises create scoring opportunities all over the floor: kick-outs for threes, ball rotations to weak-side drivers, etc. Or, at least they used to.
With Wembanyama on the floor, paint touches are no longer threatening. He eliminates floaters, layups and easy lobs, which means San Antonio’s other defenders can stay home on shooters and preserve defensive integrity. They don’t need to help because Wemby has the entire lane handled by himself.
This is a core alteration of modern basketball. If Wembanyama can nullify the value of paint touches, offenses will have to subsist on much more difficult, well-defended shots. Keep an eye on this. It could be a change on the level of the three-point revolution—except no other team has a player to replicate it.
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