© getty
Victor Wembanyama: Length matters
Wemby does surprisingly well for that. As a defender, he is already difficult to beat, especially in the pick’n’roll. A wingspan of 2.43 meters makes this possible. Just watch how he takes away options from Trae Young, one of the best PnR guards in the NBA. The Hawks guard’s preferred floater isn’t there; instead, Wemby fishes the lob attempt out of the air while running backwards (and is quick enough to block another attempt from Young).
© nba.com/stats
It is a prime example of the mix of God-given attributes (length) and hard work (strong footwork). And the Spurs have now understood that Wembanyama is much better off at five. Defensively, he is constantly involved in the actions because the pick’n’roll between guard and center is the most common play. But even if the opponent doesn’t run it, Wemby is still close to the basket to play the passing lanes, prevent cuts, defend drives and also close all other defensive gaps.
There are enough of them. Apart from Wemby, only Jeremy Sochan and Tre Jones can be described as solid to good defenders. The other guards in particular are terrible in this regard, but Wembanyama can hide a lot of that. So it’s not unreasonable that Wemby is the first rookie since Tim Duncan to make an All-Defensive team, also because the positions no longer play a role this year.
2024-02-28 08:24:00
#alien #Victor #Wembanyama #long #landed
