Most old-timers don’t like the prevalent playing style in the NBA where teams heavily rely on shooting from deep and maintaining a run-and-gun pace. And Victor Wembanyama’s recent games offer a breath of fresh air for many.
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Wembanyama isn’t a slouch when it comes to shooting, let’s get that straight. In his first season, his three-point percentage was 33%, and it rose to 35% in the 2024–25 campaign, while averaging around 8.8 threes per game. But this season, his approach seems to have changed.
In the San Antonio Spurs‘ first two games, Wembanyama has attempted just two and three three-pointers, respectively. He scored 40 and 29 points in those games. This statistic has brought a smile to the face of analyst Brian Geltzeiler, who highlighted this scoring dominance from Wemby without shooting from downtown.
“If he plays his game inside the three-point line, this is how awesome he’s gonna be,” Geltzeiler said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “Because there are things I am seeing with him that I hadn’t seen previously.”
This is something Hall-of-Fame big man, Shaquille O’Neal, had criticized him for as well. At the start of the 2024-25 season, Shaq said, “But I don’t really think you can be dominant when you shoot jumpers a lot. I think if he was an inside player at 7’5, the answer would be, Yes.”
Wembanyama, a phenom, had his 2024–25 season cut short due to deep vein thrombosis. That setback pushed him to train harder and differently during the off-season.
He took part in several activities away from basketball and even traveled to China to explore ‘ancient recovery methods’. Maybe it’s because of that, but Geltzeiler noted that Wembanyama’s strength and balance look outstanding from what we have seen of him so far.
“He’s able to play a much stronger version of the game,” Geltzeiler continued. “You can see a developed body. And it’s funny… I mocked the living hell out of him a couple of weeks ago because he said I worked harder than anybody in the off-season. You know what? It ain’t bragging if you can do it.”
Geltzeiler further stated that Wembanyama has worked on his upper and lower body strength over the course of the off-season, which has allowed him to alter his style of play. “He’s just playing a more cerebral game and leaning into his strength more. It’s impossible not to be incredibly impressed,” he added.
The Spurs have had a solid start to the season, too, thanks to Wemby. They beat the Mavericks 125-92, and followed it up with a 120-116 win over the Pelicans.
If their star Frenchman continues to perform the way he is and the results keep coming, Wembanyama can be included in MVP conversations.
