The Spurs should stop having Victor Wembanyama initiate plays when finishing is his strength

Bleacher Report wrote predictions that every team's fan base is supposed to hate, but the notable part wasn't the three-guard criticism. It was the line about San Antonio continuing to explore Victor Wembanyama as an initiator, which the piece argued doesn't play to his strengths as an elite play-finisher. They're absolutely correct, but to go even further, it might be part of why Vic has yet to find his comfort zone.

The numbers tell the story. Through three games, he's at 20 points on 36.5% shooting with 2.3 assists, down from 3.5 for his career. If the extra on-ball reps were producing playmaking, the assists would be going up, not down.

The Spurs have three guys who can set Wembanyama up

This is just a matter of playing to everyone's strengths. Why not use the tools that make them special in the way they know how? De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper can all run an offense. All three can get into the paint and bend a defense. When they're on the floor together, play initiation is usually a rotational effort as they take turns, but that unit is only averaging about 12 minutes together.

When the rotations begin, the Spurs are too often putting only one on the floor, but it's generally advantageous to have at least two playmakers together. So, Wembanyama becomes that other hub. He's starting his offense from above the break too often. If he doesn't like what he's seeing—which is often—he passes the ball, and the offense will just look as if it has no direction.

As BR's writer acknowledges, they're so talented that it may work, but it's not the best way to use these pieces. Feed Wemby. That's the adjustment. Let Fox come off a screen and find him. Let Castle collapse a defense and kick it out. Let Harper hit him on the move. Wemby finishing plays that these dangerous guards created is the most unfair version of this team.

Not to mention the domino effect. Steph had become great at the skip pass to the corner off the gravity he and Vic's pick-and-roll creates, but we're not seeing it this season.

Wembanyama is not Nikola Jokic and he shouldn't try to be

It's easy to fall into "he's special, so the ball should be in his hands." I get the logic. But special doesn't mean hub. That's a Nikola Jokic type. The Alien is something else. He's a finisher with a handle. Those are not the same jobs.

Think about what James Harden did to this league. The Beard convinced a generation that any big-scoring guard could also be the primary creator, and the league spent years applying that template to guys it didn't fit. Devin Booker is the clearest case. His best stretch came with an actual point guard next to him, doing the organizing so Book could hunt. He hasn't been the same since CP3 left Phoenix.

None of this means Wembanyama shouldn't touch the ball above the break. It's just about when he's getting them and how they're coming. The majestic French skyscraper should mostly get his touches on the move and find spots where the defense has to commit. Make reads off those advantages.

I just wrote about how much picking consistent spots helps his teammates, and the same is true about picking the right role. The playmaking opportunities will still be there. It just shouldn't be the first action of the possession.

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