By Guillaume K. | Sports journalist
Since the start of the season, Victor Wembanyama has been the target of criticism, particularly because he is clumsy behind the arc. Gilbert Arenas is one of these new detractors, and he explained why in his latest show.
After an exceptional first season, Victor Wembanyama must meet even greater expectations… Throughout the summer, specialists anticipated enormous progress on his part, in particular thanks to his Olympic experience. But for the moment, the Spurs pivot is not entirely satisfactory, especially on the offensive level.
Indeed, in the coming weeks, he will have to make a clear choice for his development. Does he want to become a dominant player in the paint, or does he want to become a new Kevin Durant? The second option is currently preferred, since he currently takes 7.5 3-point shots per game on average. A trend that is starting to annoy observers.
Gilbert Arenas disappointed by Victor Wembanyama
If he were skillful and regular in his exercise, no one would find anything wrong with it… But after 11 games, Wemby only has a 31% success rate, which is far from the best triggers in the league. In his show, Gilbert Arenas returned to this fluctuating address by expressing his disappointment. He would also like to see adjustments from the staff.
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He has a 45% success rate even though he measures 2m24?! Wemby plays like he's a fullback. I know he has the qualities, but at this stage of his development I don't need him to be a fullback. If I were the Spurs, I wouldn't want to see the tallest boy in my squad playing in the same register as my leaders and my guards. Where is the interior which is running at 60% success in this squad?
Under the basket the guy doesn't even have to jump to score. Seriously, San Antonio brought in Chris Paul for a special reason. I thought they were going to play the pick-and-roll and it was going to end under the basket. He's playing more than last season but taking fewer shots per game, and his percentages are down. He's a better shooter than Tim Duncan, he should have the same systems.
Gilbert Arenas, like many observers, is frustrated by Victor Wembanyama's tendency to play far from the basket. He would therefore like Gregg Popovich to bring out some of the systems he used with Tim Duncan to give easy points to his prodigy. But wouldn't it be a waste to limit the French to the fundamentals?
Since the start of the season, Victor Wembanyama has shot almost more at 3 points than at 2, which makes some specialists jump. But a player this talented must follow his instincts and find a way to shine with this tendency.
