The NBA isn’t ready for the game-changing skill Wembanyama has yet to unleash

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is currently playing for the French National team, giving him the perfect opportunity to unleash an underrated skill. In the playoffs, Wembanyama was the best pick-and-roll ball handler in terms of scoring efficiency.

That's a surprising stat, though an intriguing one as well. Having him operate as a ball handler in pick-and-roll is a potentially deadly weapon for the Spurs, and they clearly experimented with it in the postseason to impressive results.

We've seen plays such as Devin Vassell or Julian Champagnie set screens for Wemby when he has the ball. That allowed him to get clean looks at pull-up jumpers or gain momentum to attack the basket.

Wembanyama's devastating skill is begging to be unleashed on the NBA

Setting a screen to free up Wembanyama can be especially effective when he's being defended by guards and wings. The whole point of putting a smaller player on him is to take away his dribble.

But having him operate as the ballhandler in the pick-and-rolls gives him open looks from outside. It also allows San Antonio to attack mismatches. For instance, if a big man is put on Vassell or Champagnie, they could screen for Wembanyama and force a switch.

Given how well he does going one-on-one against opposing big men on the perimeter, it's unsurprising that he scores so effectively as the ball handler and pick-and-rolls.

Wembanyama should have the ball more on the perimeter

Having Wembanyama use more ball screens probably isn't what most Spurs want from their 7-5 center, but hear me out. The idea that he is going to be a back-to-the-basket dominant force is probably never going to be a reality.

In fact, he ranks among the worst post players in the NBA over the last 10 years. That is largely due to his shockingly high 18.1% turnover rate when in the post.

As a result, he should look to change up his game by using more ball screens and shooting more threes, as well as driving to the basket more. He can also mix in more rolls to the rim when not playing with the ball.

Wembanyama can still post up, but that should be a relatively small part of his offensive game until he improves in that area. Instead, he should focus on what works, and the numbers are clear.

He is at his best as both a ball handler in the pick-and-roll and driving to the basket while also shooting plenty of threes. If he does more of those things next season, Wembanyama could take both his offensive game and the Spurs to the next level.

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