Joel Embiid sends Victor Wembanyama the real deal, especially after the San Antonio Spurs rookie has had ups and downs this season. Still, he’s averaging 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, and more importantly, recording three blocks per night and impacting games defensively.
Unlike Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren, the Spurs didn’t give Wembanyama a defined role, letting him explore space and the NBA game.
Gregg Popovich put him in various roles – in the paint, catching balls in the high post, moving the ball up, facing the wing – and letting him find his comfort zones and where he wants to be on the court.
What happened:
Victor Wembanyama is having an up and down season.
Joel Embiid believes Wemby needs to find his identity in the NBA.
The Frenchman has the potential to become one of the best in the league, but he needs to focus on one position and style of play.
Adapting to the NBA is a challenge for everyone, and in an article by The Athletic, David Aldridge asked Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kristaps Porzingis about their adaptations and advice for Wembanyama.
I found Embiid’s description of the Wembanyama season and its path particularly accurate and insightful.
“Now there is so much hype around him that I think he is trying to live up to expectations. That’s what I see. And I watch a lot of games. I think first he needs to figure out where he wants to play, whether he wants to be a point guard, a center or whatever. It’s not necessarily about being a point guard or a center; It’s about what he wants to become.
Do you want to become KD, or do you want to become me? Not Kevin Durant, or like a version of those guys – you want to combine everything. Now, I just feel like it all feels a little forced, the way he’s playing it. Which isn’t bad. Because the only way to improve is to play and learn. That’s the only way. You make a lot of mistakes and you learn.
And Joel Embiid continued:
The only thing that makes me happy is that they are allowing him to make these mistakes and learn from them. But I think there is a good and a bad side to this. The good thing is that you learn from your mistakes. But then again, the bad thing is that, you know, it feels a little forced. Like, some of the pitches. He can make things easier for himself. He can make it easier for himself.
Like, he’s 2.26m, 2.28m. Sometimes, and that’s something I’m also learning. Like, sometimes, just go out there and, whatever, throw it over someone. Sometimes, you don’t have to (try so hard). I’m still learning. We all have the same problem.”
Wembanyama is so skilled, so unique, that he can do a little bit of everything, but being good at everything and not elite at one style isn’t necessarily the path to the level of NBA success he wants. Wembanyama needs to choose who he wants to be as a player, even though he can go into other styles when the situation demands it.
Watching Wembanyama play, some things are clear and likely to happen, like him getting physically stronger. This wasn’t a secret when he entered the league, but it’s also something that can happen over a few years with dedication (Antetokounmpo is the perfect example of this type of transformation). Wembanyama seems to understand this.
Finding a true identity of who he wants to be on the court is part of that. It’s not that he needs to be Durant or Embiid – he can be a unique version of him – but that identity is still taking shape and needs to form.
That’s what this first season in San Antonio is all about – growth over wins, just trusting the team process and improving. Wembanyama is doing this, although it can be uneven at times. This season is about learning.
Joel Embiid seems to understand this better than anyone.
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