SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The problem with Victor Wembanyama, if you can even call it that, is that his possibilities seem endless.
You can watch him on a Sunday night in Sacramento, where his Spurs pulled off a comeback to beat the Kings 127-125 while improving to 11-9, and have your mind fixate on all the things he’s not doing while taking many of the things he is doing — often spectacularly — for granted.
It’s the downside of greatness for any player of his ilk, but even more so for this particular 7-foot-3, 235-pound, 20-year-old who boasts an unprecedented combination of size and skill. The nitpicking is part of his evaluation process because almost nothing is outside of his reach — quite literally. And that phenomenon, which interim coach Mitch Johnson confirmed afterward was not a figment of my imagination, is the only reasonable explanation for how his third career triple-double (34 points, 14 rebounds, and a career-high 11 assists) felt so confusing and, at times, unfulfilling before its impressive fourth-quarter finish.
Why was he firing all those 3s from the Tower Bridge instead of exploiting mismatches against the Kings’ guards in the post? Why would he let Kings big man Domantas Sabonis pull him out of the paint so often in the first half, practically inviting Sacramento to go backdoor time and again as they led by as many as 16 points in the second quarter? On so many nights, the questions are there because perfection seems as if it’s in play. That, in turn, means the second-guessing will sometimes overshadow the remarkable impact that he’s making.
Those of us who were there in person to see his inconsistent French national team showing during the Olympics are quite familiar with this puzzling viewing experience. Watching Wembanyama is like playing NBA2K with all-time greats on your roster, only to realize that you’re not yet good enough at the game to fully maximize the amazing talent at your disposal. The defensive dominance is almost always there, with opposing players avoiding Wembanyama on that end as if they’re the kids from “Stranger Things” running from the Mind Flayer.
Next thing you know, Wembanyama has his team playing in the gold medal game against the Americans (despite LeBron James’and many others, well-chronicled doubts). Or, as was the case against the Kings, he’s coming up huge in the fourth quarter of a big win (13 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks) and making you forget that his first half wasn’t too shabby either (16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one block).
“I thought he had some very poor moments in the first three quarters in terms of fundamentals and solid basketball,” said Johnson, who has been serving in Gregg Popovich’s stead since the legendary coach suffered a stroke on Nov. 2. “And it’s a testament to him, and his ability to lock in (that he figured it out). I thought in the fourth quarter, (that) he was a man. And I thought he dominated. He’s so good, but the dominating (of) the fundamentals for him — the catches, the passes, the solid stuff — (is key). It’s still spectacular, but when he does that, he’s a load.”
The dilemma — and the terrifying part for the rest of the league, really — is that Wembanyama is the rare athlete who is still developing at a rapid rate while already dominating.
“He can do everything,” Johnson continued. “And so when you have that many options on the menu, to think you’re gonna pick the right one every time is tough. He’s a young player (who’s) learning how to use all these weapons that he has. And so, I think there’s obviously tremendous belief and great support for him as he learns when and where to utilize all those weapons. And I think just constantly holding himself accountable as he does of the fundamental simple stuff is what will allow those things to pop off the page.”
Credit Johnson for being willing to speak some truth rather than opt for the nightly ringing endorsement that would be safer politically. That’s what Popovich surely wants from the 39-year-old assistant who has been on his staff since 2018, and what the 75-year-old will hopefully give to Wembanyama himself again when he’s back on the bench. While team sources said there is no timeline on a Popovich return, the league’s all-time winningest coach continues to progress and the organization’s hope remains that he will, in fact, resume the role he has held since 1996.
As Popovich knows as much as anyone, there’s still plenty to pick at when it comes to Wembanyama’s game. His heavy reliance on the 3-pointer has inspired some criticism, as his attempts have nearly doubled since last season (5.5 per game as a rookie compared to 9.2 now).
Among the top 13 3-point volume shooters, Wembanyama has the third-worst percentage so far (35 percent, with the Mavericks’ Luka Dončić at 32.9 percent and Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey at 33.3) Then again, he showed the worthiness of this long-range pursuit in the win against the Kings by hitting five of nine 3s in all.
As Wembanyama shared in his fascinating postgame media session, he routinely relies on the Spurs’ video department to show him the kinds of clips that help him understand when and where he’s at his best. He declined to name specific staff members who have aided him the most, indicating that it wouldn’t be fair to name just one or two, but made it clear that he’s spending ample time investigating all the relevance ins and outs about his game.
“Of course we’re rewatching the game,” Wembanyama said. “I personally like to get a lot of content from the video room. They do a great job targeting certain areas, and certain type of plays where we need to get better, and this is something I’ve really loved from them all season so far. Every time they’ve given me advice or content to watch, it’s been very purposeful. It’s worked.
“I’ve asked them to — before every game — send me a tape of the last time we played them, or the last times we played them and show me what worked for us and what did it. It’s easy information, easy to process, and easy to replicate on the court.”
Of all the aspects of Wembanyama’s game that he’s trying to improve, he highlighted his playmaking as the top priority at the moment.
“It’s still something I’m getting more comfortable doing,” he said. “Facing a good amount of double teams, I think it’s my responsibility to capitalize on (that) more.”
His actions on this front showed even more than his words, as Wembanyama’s best moments late were all of the passing variety.
A cross-court dime to Devin Vassell that led to a corner 3 and a 118-113 lead with 2:49 left. A quick pass to Chris Paul up top that led to his 3 and five-point lead with 20 seconds left. On both possessions, Wembanyama passed up the chance to get physical with Kings guards — Malik Monk and then De’Aaron Fox — on the block and decided to find the open shooter. In between, there was a block of a DeMar DeRozan drive for good measure.
Yet of all the impact plays he made, none was more absurd than the offensive rebound with nine seconds left that was like something straight out of “Inspector Gadget.” Wembanyama used those “Go-go, Gadget arms” to reach over Sabonis’ shoulder and tip the missed free throw from Keldon Johnson back to him, and Paul would go on to finish it with two free throws when the Kings had to foul. There was nothing flashy about the play, but it was his latest reminder that he can simply do things that others can’t.
And isn’t that the point that we have to be careful not to overlook?
Chances are, Wembayama will go on to make any and all skeptics look silly by the time he’s done. He’s a second-year player who is averaging 24.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and a league-leading 3.5 blocks, and whose team has already reached half its win total from all of last season in early December (the Spurs went 22-60).
The progress on all fronts is impossible to miss, and it seems like only a matter of time before he’s considered the top talent in the league. Especially if he fills out his frame and continues to get wiser with every passing year.
On this night, when one of Wembanyama’s best performances yet sneaked up on you amid all those decisions that seemed to make such little sense, the Spurs big man didn’t hesitate to have the last word.
“The triple-double was just a byproduct of, as I said, making the right choices,” he said.
Truth be told, star player problems don’t get much smaller than this.
(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
