Victor Wembanyama has always been considered a rare NBA talent in recent years. The young French player is highly appreciated for his ability to score points in every position and stable defensive skills with a height of 2m24.
In addition, Victor Wembanyama is having significant development in his passing skills. Since taking on the position of center forward in early December 2023, Wembanyama’s number of assists has increased sharply from 2.5 to 3.9 assists/match. More notably, Victor Wembanyama did this while still having limited playing time due to an ankle injury.
The number of 3.9 assists/match is extremely impressive for a player over 2m13 tall. In the NBA, there are 36 players who are 2m13 tall or taller, but only Joel Embiid averages more assists than Victor Wembanyama. Remember, Joel Embiid is the reigning MVP, the best player in the NBA for the 2022/23 season.
With excellent passing ability, Victor Wembanyama can improve his own stats. He even had the first triple-double of his career, with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 130-108 victory over the Detroit Pisons on January 11.
Victor Wembanyama as creator
With good basketball shooting ability and the ability to score points in many positions, Victor Wembanyama can completely pull the opposing center forwards that are marking him away from the trapezoidal area. This brings many benefits, especially the immense space created when the opposing player is forced to leave the backboard.
Along with taking advantage of speedy cutting players, the San Antonio Spurs can easily exploit this space. The video below is a prime example, as Victor Wembanyama’s teammates easily run straight towards the basket, receive a pass from the Frenchman who is occupying the top of the trapezoid, and then score an easy score. .
Coach Gregg Popovich is extremely fond of these plays, having used tall, passing players like Jakob Poeltl to do the same. This helps San Antonio Spurs diversify their attacks, instead of relying on Victor Wembanyama’s own scoring ability.
Victor Wembanyama’s height is a powerful weapon
With a height of 2m24 and an arm span of up to 2m44, Victor Wembanayama has a huge advantage in both attack and defense. Not only throwing above the opponent’s head or impressive blocking ability, Wembanayama can also launch passes that exceed the opponent’s defensive range because of his height and rare arm span.
The videos below are the clearest evidence. Victor Wembayama took advantage of his height to clearly see the direction of his teammates’ movements, then launched passes at the right time that opposing players could not stop.
The final video even shows that Victor Wembanyama can easily put the ball past the defensive players’ blocking hands when they jump up with the intention of blocking a pass. That is the advantage of a 2m24 tall player with a stable tactical vision for passing the ball.
Victor Wembanyama and his ability to pass the ball at high speed
With the San Antonio Spurs lacking personnel at the point guard position, coach Gregg Popovich had to make do with what he had on hand. One of those options is to take advantage of Victor Wemabanyama.
In the video above, Victor Wembanayam dribbles the ball forward in a quick counterattack. Good ball control ability along with the threat of going to the basket helps Wembanyama attract the attention of the Chicago Bulls’ defense.
Immediately after attracting 5 players, Victor Wembanyama provided an assist for Jeremy Sochan. Not many center forwards can see a pass like that in the NBA, especially in the context of being closely marked by the opponent in quick counter-attack situations and requiring high speed.
With the above evidence, Victor Wembanayama can completely develop his passing skills to become a more comprehensive player in the near future.
