Crucial Victor Wembanyama swing stat unlocks Spurs path to beat Thunder

The San Antonio Spurs are gearing up for what could be a classic series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs are seemingly the underdog against the defending champions, though Victor Wembanyama could be the great equalizer. 

He's had a turbulent playoffs so far, with him missing time due to a concussion and a suspension. However, when he's been on the floor, he has been an absolute game-changer. 

The Spurs have a staggering plus 20 net rating when he is on the court. Considering he is only averaging 28.8 minutes thus far in the playoffs, having him play closer to 36 minutes could help swing the series in the Spurs' favor. 

Perhaps a bigger stat will be his 3-point shooting. 

Victor Wembanyama's 3-point shooting will be a bellwether against the Thunder

Wembanyama struggled from outside against the Minnesota Timberwolves, including going 0-8 in Game 1. Over the remainder of that second-round series, he passed up shots he would normally take.

Nevertheless, he may not have the luxury against the Thunder. They have a plethora of physical perimeter defenders who will no doubt swipe at Wembanyama on drives.

Him taking a center off the dribble is one thing, but when he tries to do so against a guard or wing, it almost always ends up as a turnover. Instead, he should pick his spots and be more aggressive taking threes in the hopes that he'll be able to regain his shooting touch.

The Spurs need Wembanyama to space the floor against OKC

Through 10 playoff games, he is shooting 34.1% from three on 4.1 attempts per game. Compare that to him shooting 34.9% from 3 on 5.5 3-point attempts per game during the regular season.

We've seen this happen before, to start the regular season. Wembanyama passed up threes in favor of drives and post-ups. The Spurs offense ground to a halt as a result.

San Antonio needs him to aggressively space the floor. Otherwise, the driving lanes may close up for De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper.

It also keeps Wembanyama involved in the offense. If he is waiting for good looks inside the paint, that may never happen against OKC, resulting in him not getting many shots.

The Silver and Black need him to be as impactful on offense as he is on defense. That starts with him re-establishing himself as an elite stretch five.

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