Victor Wembanyama’s positional evolution

Could the rookie see increased minutes playing at the center position? 

Victor Wembanyama returns to the court on Monday night, gearing up for a packed schedule with the San Antonio Spurs this week. Over the past week, Coach Popovich has initiated changes in the starting lineup, most notably starting Wembanyama at center for the first time last Friday against the Bulls. This new strategy delivered impressive results as the rookie had a historic night, achieving a remarkable 20/20 game.

This shift reinforces the vast potential Wembanyama holds across multiple positions. In his first 20 games, Victor frequently took on the four spot, often partnered with the presence of Zach Collins. This setup allowed Wembanyama to focus on defensive coverage near the baseline while Collins and his counterparts handled the opposition’s pick-and-roll. However, deploying Wembanyama at the four does impose certain limitations on his gameplay.

Offensively, Victor exhibits a diverse range of shot-making abilities. His size, agility, and ball-handling skills enable him to take on larger defenders off the dribble. Hence, pairing him with guards and wings proficient in shooting provides Wembanyama with advantageous offensive matchups against slower bigs from opposing teams.

This was evident in a play against Andre Drummond on Friday night, where the veteran center seemed unable to contain Victor’s prowess. Looking ahead, anticipate Popovich to continue experimenting with rotations and lineups. There might be an increased focus on allocating more playing time for Victor at the five positions worth keeping an eye on moving forward.

Wemby continues to shine, boasting impressive statistics that rival some of the league’s greatest bigs of all time.

We’ve witnessed Victor’s impact on opponents during their initial encounters. Yet, in this interview, the Wolves’ point guard highlights the rookie’s consistent brilliance during the second meeting, proving his skills are no fluke:

Attention, Spurs fans! Tony Parker’s imminent Hall of Fame celebration is on the horizon—make sure you don’t miss it:

Victor’s competitive nature is widely acknowledged. His latest favorite tweet speaks volumes.

The Houston Rockets could anticipate more posterizing dunks from the rookie on Monday night.