How Victor Wembanyama’s mindset unlocks his unique play style

The 20-year-old shed light on his mindset and its pivotal role in his basketball journey. 

Is Victor Wembanyama even from this planet? No one really knows the answer to that — not even himself.

This quote made the rounds following his hour-long interview with Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Wembanyama embraces the idea of being different from everyone else. It’s evident on the court, with him attempting things we’ve never seen before in NBA basketball last season.

The reason why Victor experiments on the court the way he does is because of his mentality — where it all begins. This is a skill that requires as much development as a jump shot. When asked if he was born like this, Wemby quickly answered “No.” He went on to elaborate. About four to five years ago, he spent time working hard on learning about himself. During that time, he faced his truths, which now allows him to focus on what truly matters to him. But what does he mean by facing his truths?

Obviously, I’m not an expert in that field, nor will I ever be. But, based on previous interviews with Wembanyama, he’s hinted at having to accept that he’s going to be different from anyone else. He will never be able to walk down the street without people turning their heads in awe at the sight of a towering figure walking by them. Unlike the rest of the world, Wembanyama will always get noticed. So, instead of shying away from it, the then-teen chose to embrace it.

He expects the attention now; he expects to be different, which allows him to be himself. Standing at 7’4”, most NBA traditionalists would suggest Wembanyama’s position is center. However, if you tell him that, he’ll quickly disagree. He doesn’t see himself playing one position on either side of the ball. When O’Connor asked him about his defensive ceiling, Wembanyama said:

“Defense has always been an aspect of the game where I felt comfortable. I’m curious to see it. And I’m waiting to be challenged as well by my coaches, by my teammates, to get new, bigger roles. Maybe being able to guard every position. But also, maybe for the last possession of the game because as of today, when the opponent point guard has the ball, I’m not going to guard him. But, yeah, there’s plenty of possibilities and some unconventional ones, just like offensively.”

It further embraces the idea of trying unconventional things. Wembanyama is different and will always push to try things no one else has ever dared attempting. And will that always pan out? No, but he doesn’t care.

“I’m just experimenting, and sometimes it’s not going to work. But when it works, I’m just going to keep doing it,”

His mindset is so far ahead of many other players that it doesn’t matter if he fails. He’s exploring, learning, and growing on the NBA court in real-time. As great as his rookie season was, this was phase one of his NBA exploration. Phase two promises to be something special that could potentially shock the world. However, one thing is for sure, Wembanyama won’t be surprised by it; he’s expecting it.

Because, ultimately, everything is a result of your own work and your mentality. I always want more, so I’m not surprised.”