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The San Antonio Spurs are exceeding expectations so far this season, as they currently sit at 11-10 and are holding onto the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. Of course, there is still plenty of time left in the season, but the early returns are very positive for the Spurs in their second season with Victor Wembanyama.
Unfortunately, the Spurs will be a little bit shorthanded when they take on the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. Wembanyama will be sidelined for the game due to a back injury, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. The injury is officially described as “bilateral low back soreness.”
Wembanyama has been fairly healthy this season, but he did previously miss three games due to a knee injury.
When he has been on the floor, he has been as advertised even while working through some rocky shooting nights. For the season, Wembanyama is averaging 23.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. As expected, the former No. 1 overall pick has been a monster defensively, notching 1.3 steals and a league-leading 3.4 blocks per game this season.
The Spurs as a whole have been in the middle of the pack defensively, but Wembanyama's ability to erase their flaws on that side of the ball will earn him Defensive Player of the Year consideration. With Wembanyama out of the lineup against the Bulls, expect Zach Collins to see significant minutes at center for San Antonio.
Victor Wembamyama still has room to grow on offense
Victor Wembanyama has seen an uptick in both volume and efficiency so far this season, but he still has so much room to grow as an offensive player.
When you watch the French superstar play, you can feel him still trying to figure out what the right shot diet for him is that will allow him to be the most effective. Obviously, his height is a gift that allows him to get any shot off at any time, but Wembanyama is still an effective roller and can be dangerous as a driver when he cleans his handle up a little bit.
Right now, Wembanyama is taking 18.2 shots per game from the field and more than half of those (9.2 per game) are 3-pointers. That is reflected in Wembanyama's free throw rate, as the Spurs big man attempts less than four shots a night at the charity stripe.
Part of that is that shooting jump shots is easier for Wembanyama at this point in his career. He can launch a 3-pointer over any defender at any moment and has shown comfort taking some more difficult shots off the dribble. He also can struggle to get all the way down to the rim because of his lack of strength in the post and his loose handle on drives.
Of course, adding weight and fighting up his handle are things that will come with time. As he starts to improve his inside game, he will be able to be more selective with his perimeter shots and that 33.7% from outside will improve. For as good as Wembanyama already is, he isn't even close to his offensive ceiling in year two.
