NBA critics turn on Wembanyama as explainable offensive struggles continue

Madness is beginning to take hold in Victor Wembanyama's sophomore season and the critics need to be reined in. Multiple things can be true at the same time. Often people tend to operate without nuance, causing them to make absurd statements without understanding the full picture of what could be at play.

Yes, Wembanyama hasn't made the leap offensively fans were hoping for, but there are several factors at play that explain that and others that suggest he'll turn a corner. Inferring that he has zero impact on the offense is not just brain dead; it's exposing you aren't watching the games.

Wembanyama is making his teammates better despite his poor shooting

Without making a high percentage of his shots, the reigning Rookie of the Year's gravity has allowed the Spurs to get more open shots. His passing has led to plenty of points; and despite not making the shots, his willingness to take them opens the floor for the rest of his teammates.

If his man completely leaves him to double team elsewhere, you open up the lane for a cutting Wembanyama, and recovery at that point is almost impossible. They're forced to respect him, regardless of his shooting percentage. That doesn't mean he doesn't need to vary his shot selection more, but it also means he plays a very obvious and important role when he's on the floor.

If you've watched him play from last season to the current campaign, you see how much he can struggle when he's in traffic. He's not strong enough with his lower body and hands to dominate the paint yet. Height does not automatically translate to power.

If you're watching a player like Chet drive to the basket with relative ease and wondering why Wemby isn't doing the same, you need to be questioning the rest of the circumstances surrounding the two players. OKC's shooting is among the best in the league, and he is not their best player. He's afforded space, and he's not the focal point of opposing defenses; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has that honor.

San Antonio can help draw up ways to help him get closer to the basket, but teams are going to continue switching and getting physical with him to push him out of his spots. It's going to take time for him to get the strength required to hold his ground. Remember, he's only 20 years old.

Everyone used to know what a sophomore slump was, but it seems people have forgotten. In Ja Morant's second year, he went from 17 ppg to 19 ppg, but his field goal and 3-point efficiency decreased. He just took more shots. There were games that season when Morant only scored 10 points and sometimes less.

But instead of understanding that young players take time to figure it out—especially when your team is coming from the bottom of the league—you have people making comments like this.

Maybe a championship coach with a 29-year tenure knows a little more about basketball than the average fan.

There's every reason to believe Wembanyama will turn it around

The Spurs were at the very bottom of the league in 3-pointers made last season—fans saw the type of offense that led to. They have to take more to keep up with the league's current culture. You can't trade 2-pointers for threes and expect to win a lot of games. A balance will be needed, and help is on the way to help San Antonio with that.

Wembanyama won't have to take as many deep shots when Devin Vassell is back on the floor. Defenses will have to respect Vassell, opening up more space for Wemby to thrive on the interior. He'll still take his fair share, but it likely won't be the seven per game he's been averaging.

Another factor to consider is his free throw shooting. His 94% from the line lets you know the shooting touch is in him, but for whatever reason, it hasn't translated to his jump shot yet. That won't last. It's extremely rare that someone who can't shoot the ball at all is such a strong shooter from the charity stripe.

Many of his shots go in and out—it's like there's an invisible barrier preventing the ball from going all the way down when it comes from a Wemby 3-pointer, but eventually, the wall will come down, and the shots will fall. Just have patience.