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It was only a week ago that there were concerns over Victor Wembanyama's slow offensive start to the season. Through his first nine games, he was averaging just 17.7 points on 41.3 percent shooting from the field and 22.6 percent from 3.
That cold streak has come to an abrupt end.
Over his past three games, Wemby is averaging 36.0 points while shooting a blistering 59.1 percent from the field and 54.1 percent from 3. That run was capped off by a career-high 50-point explosion on Wednesday night in a win against the Wizards.
Wembanyama has proven one thing over and over — if you doubt him, he will make you look foolish.
Before this streak, there were many calls for him to shoot less 3s. That poor percentage had been tanking his offense. It turns out that he knew what he was doing. That shot has become one of his greatest weapons thanks to one small tweak.
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Spurs fixed Victor Wembanyama's offense with this one tweak
Wembanyama still takes some audacious attempts from deep. He loves early transition 3s. He will hit them from way out, ignoring 7-footers who try to contest his shot.
The difference from earlier in the season is that he is taking way more catch-and-shoot 3s. Those are generally easier shots for players to hit, and that has been the case for him.
Wemby has hit an insane 60.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s over his past three games. He's also more than doubled those types of shot attempts.
| 4.2 per game | 9.3 per game |
| 18.4% | 60.7% |
The Spurs have gotten Wembanyama more catch-and-shoot attempts by having him run off simple screens. Chris Paul in particular has been ruthless about using all of the veteran tricks in his bag to create space for his big man to get clean looks.
MORE: LeBron James shares heartfelt message to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich
Wembanyama hasn't been nearly as good at shooting 3s off the dribble. He can hit those shots, but he takes some bad ones, such as his air-balled one-legged attempt against the Kings on Monday. He has not shot a good percentage when he pulls up after a few dribbles. If he wants to improve his percentage even more, he should try to limit those attempts.
| 2.4 per game | 2.7 per game |
| 31.8% | 25.0% |
The improved 3-point shooting has opened up the rest of Wemby's game. When big men are forced to guard him tightly on the perimeter, they can't stick by him when he decides to put the ball on the floor.
Wembanyama needed some time to learn when to find a better shot rather than settling for a bad 3, and he's done it now. That adjustment has made him a crazy offensive weapon. There hasn't been a player with his type of skill package at his size in NBA history.
The scary thing is that Wemby still has some easy things to clean up which will make him even better.
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