Mitch Johnson handed Wembanyama a to-do list that will take his defense to another level

After Monday's practice, Mitch Johnson was asked where Victor Wembanyama can still grow defensively, and he surprisingly had a list of areas needing improvement.

"Yeah, there's a lot of growth, and I understand his impact now and what he's done. But he can be a much better communicator. He can recognize things quicker. He can be able to connect his teammates and anticipate things before they happen. His perimeter defense has a lot of room to grow." - Mitch Johnson

There's a theme with most of these components. Communicator, recognition, connecting teammates, and anticipation are all mental. Coach Johnson mentioned nothing about adding weight, foul trouble, holding up on the block, etc. Wemby's improvements need to happen between the ears.

Everything Mitch Johnson listed can be taught

Every item on the inventory is a learnable skill. Communication is reps. Recognition is film. Anticipation is pattern recognition you build by seeing the same actions a thousand times. All of that comes with experience and effort. Vic is building the former daily, and he never lacks the latter.

He's already done so much without those things. Wemby just became the youngest Defensive Player of the Year in league history at 22, and he did it unanimously. It was the first time one player has received all 100 votes for this award. Vic also led the NBA in blocks for the third season in a row, and he's only been in the league for three years.

His raw tools were enough to win him a unanimous award, but now it's time to do more than rely on pure ability. That means the DPOY wasn't his defensive ceiling. He's still uncovering what he can be when he adds more than what his physical gifts produce.

Patrick Mahomes discussed a similar level of greatness

Special players do special things, no matter what sport it is. In 2020, sitting on HBO's The Shop, Patrick Mahomes said he "didn't understand how to read defenses until like halfway through last year." He was talking about the 2019 season. His second as a full-time starter.

By then, he'd already thrown for 5,097 yards, won the NFL MVP and a Super Bowl. Mahomes hadn't played quarterback full-time until his junior year of high school, so the processing was always going to arrive late. The talent didn't need to wait, though. He won first and learned second.

Here's the part that should scare people. Wemby already posted the best defensive season on record by D-RAPM, and the things Johnson named aren't the kind of improvements that only help him. They're the ones that lift everybody else's defense, too. A smarter Wemby doesn't just block more shots; he turns four other capable defenders into better ones.

I know we're in spooky season, but it doesn't get much more terrifying than that.

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