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San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama is a center that's built for the modern NBA that places an emphasis on skilled size. Wembanyama is as skilled as the rest of them, as he's able to handle the ball and create for himself (and others) at an astounding listed height of 7'5 (7'3 with no shoes). But a few pundits have concerns over Wembanyama's lack of interior strength, which could make him vulnerable when defending against the beefiest big men in the league.
Thus, some think that Wembanyama, as soon as he could, should put on some additional weight so he could prepare for the physicality of the NBA. But a person close to the Spurs youngster doesn't believe that to be the case — especially when there's already a Hall of Fame precedent for them to emulate.
Victor Wembanyama's agent, Bouna Ndiaye, spoke with Marc J. Spears of Andscape and addressed concerns over the Spurs rookie's weight, saying that they would very much like to follow the route Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took when it came to filling out his frame.
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“We focus on strength, core. We were very pleased that he linked up [with] Jabbar who played until [41] years old. That’s the path that we want to take,” Ndiaye said. “I’m very glad they, they connected because uh, have a similar body type. Kareem was not heavy. Victor is more mobile, gaudier and taller than Kareem.”
Given the difference in height between Wembanyama and Abdul-Jabbar, the Spurs will have to figure out the nuances of how to prepare the 19-year old Frenchman for the grueling grind of the NBA.
“That difference in height is a challenge and is something that we are working on every day. Making him heavy? We don’t want to do that,” Ndiaye added. “People are wrong. We’re not focused at all on weights. I don’t want to put weight on his body. We’re going to fight to not put weight on his body. Weight on his body [is] a big mistake.”
It will be interesting to witness Victor Wembanyama's physical transformation over the next few years as the Spurs continue to pin their hopes and dreams of contending on the 19-year old Frenchman.
