Amidst all the criticism, Victor Wembanyama was still ridiculously impressive in his debut postseason appearance, averaging 23.8 points per game with 10.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. While he performed well on that stage, some opponents exposed weaknesses in his offensive game, prompting him to develop a more polished attack in the middle of the floor.
This is what @LegsESPN wants Wemby to work on in the offseason pic.twitter.com/GWWqnyBEh5
— ALL NBA Podcast (@ALLCITY_NBA) June 17, 2026
"The one area of the floor he does not do nearly enough damage in is the middle area of the floor," Tim Legler states on the ALL NBA PODCAST. "Instead, it's screen, and then he's so intent to put all that length and pressure at the rim and force the back line to collapse on that."
We saw that firsthand in the NBA Finals. Wemby's usually dangerous when setting ball screens and rolling aggressively to the basket, but the Knicks did a great job slowing that down. Their tag defenders were well prepared, bumping him to impede his path to the paint.
If San Antonio's superstar can master operating in the middle of the floor with the ball in his hands, it'll go a long way for his individual production and the Spurs' offense as a whole. A team is fully optimized when its best player is at his best.
Every dominant big man in the modern era has good in-between game
It's impossible for Victor to be at his absolute best on the offensive end without the ability to dominate in the middle of the floor. Over the last decade or so, the majority of the best big men in the league had this in their arsenal.
Think about Nikola Jokic. He's unstoppable when he gets the ball in that area, choosing between firing jumpers over defenders, driving to the rim, or finding teammates on cuts or perimeter shots. Joel Embiid led the 76ers' offense in a similar way over the years.
Victor has all the tools to develop an even better in-between game than those two, and that's saying a lot, as they have four combined league MVP awards. With his ridiculous height and wingspan, it's impossible to block his shot if he decides to rise and shoot. He's also an underrated passer who's complemented by athletic guards and wings who can cut aggressively to the rim.
Unlocking this part of his offensive arsenal allows him to slow the game down and improve his decision-making. It will turn him into an even more unstoppable force, further cementing his case for the best player in the league.
Victor has the resources to improve in this area
Here's the best thing about Victor Wembanyama: the OGs love him. Players like Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and others have been singing his praises over the years, acknowledging his skill and upside.
He's already spent time in the gym with a few of them, specifically Hakeem Olajuwon, whom he worked out with last summer. This time around, he needs to call on his mentors even more to advance his attack in the middle of the floor. I mean, what would be better than receiving tips in that part of the game than The Big Fundamental and The Dream?
The good thing is that Wemby's already shown flashes of his mid-range mastery. This offseason is about refining it. No player has a bigger target on their back than him, so he must develop these skills to prevent any regression from last season into next.
