NBA – Gregg Popovich’s BIG update about Wembanyama: “Wembanyama will change the world..
Like his match against the Lakers this Wednesday, Victor Wembanyama shines more and more throughout the matches. It is perhaps no coincidence, since the Frenchman was placed in the pivot position by Gregg Popovich. But the coach sees things differently.
Best rookie of the last week for the NBA, Victor Wembanyama is well on his way to winning the title for the month of December if he continues like this.
After his first 20-20 in his career, the former Mets produced a little carnage to put the Lakers in difficulty on Wednesday. A performance that is nice to see, although the Spurs failed to end their sad series.
Wembanyama dominates in his new position
But this form of French is not necessarily the result of chance. In recent games, San Antonio has made changes to its lineup, with the return of Jeremy Sochan at position 4. Another important element? Zach Collins shifted to the bench, allowing Victor to slide into the center position. And that immediately makes a big difference.
They gotta stop playing with my guy with this false narrative that Chet has been better. As soon as Pop put Wemby at the 5, it was over. He’s averaging 22ppg 17rpg 3apg 1spg 5bpg on a 46/33/64 split playing center.
https://t.co/PjyCP9ZZvJ— Joey 🃏 (@AssassinateHate) December 14, 2023
Coincidence or not, the fact is that Wembanyama has greatly improved his stats since switching to pivot mode. This does not mean that he spends all his time in the paint, since he allows his teammates to have more space. The result is in any case impressive.
At a press conference, Popovich returned to the role of Wembanyama, far from a traditional pivot.
Pop on Wemby playing center: "I don’t categorize him as a five. He’s guarding a five. But he took six threes the last game. He gets it on the wing, on top, on the block, in the paint. He is everywhere offensively. If you want to call him a five, that’s just who he guards."
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) December 14, 2023
Popovich: “I don’t want to put him in the pivot category. He defends a post 5, but he took 6 three-pointers in the last game. He can go on the wing, up top, in the block, in the paint. He is everywhere offensively. If you want to say he’s a pivot, that’s just the one he defends. »
Victor Wembanyama is not really a pivot at Spurs, but more of a free electron, capable of influencing a match in multiple ways. We imagine that this pleases the person concerned, he who also wanted to have the possibility of being on the outside line rather than camping in the racket. Gregg Popovich listened to it.