Victor Wembanyama must ignore harsh criticism to unleash full wrath on NBA

The San Antonio Spurs are hoping for dramatic improvements from superstar Victor Wembanyama, and he seems destined to deliver. He already looks like he's put on muscle this summer and still has three months before training camp starts.

Him getting stronger could unleash his offensive potential, particularly as a post threat. But that is only part of the puzzle when it comes to Wembanyama becoming the best version of himself.

Last season, he was one of just ten 7-footers to attempt 100 threes. Actually, even despite him taking fewer 3-pointers last season, he led all seven-footers in three-point attempts and shot a respectable 34.9% from deep.

Although Spurs fans and critics alike point to his reliance on three-pointers as a weakness, it's actually his biggest offensive strength.

Victor Wembanyama should ignore calls to avoid taking threes

Despite having improved last season, he still struggles in the post, particularly with turnovers. However, he did show dramatic improvement scoring in the paint.

In fact, he ranked among the league's best in field goal attempts and field goal percentage at the rim. For all of the criticism about him settling for jumpers, he's still averaged eight shots per game within three feet of the basket.

He could stand to get ever better, but it's certainly not the flaw that it's cracked up to be. If anything, it came to the detriment of his three-point shooting.

During his sophomore season, Wemby attempted nearly nine threes per game but saw that drop to five attempts per game last season. He obviously needs to be an offensive threat both inside and out, but he is far tougher to stop away from the basket than he is at the rim.

Abandoning threes in favor of banging down low in the post seems almost nonsensical when you really think about it. Sure, he is 7'4", but the NBA playoffs proved that teams can get away with just about anything, including shoving, pulling, and practically even bear hugging him.

Victor Wembanyama is close to cracking the perfect offensive recipe

Even though he is the future face of the NBA, it's clear that he isn't being officiated like one. In fact, I would go as far as to say that he is being officiated somewhat like how Shaquille O'Neal was, with teams able to get away with a lot more because he's bigger.

What Wembanyama has that Shack didn't is options. Shaq was forced to withstand the physicality, though he punished opposing teams in the paint. Wembanyama, on the other hand, can switch things up depending on the matchup.

If he's being pushed around in the paint, then he could be more aggressive taking threes or attacking closeouts. In doing so, it would help Wembanyama find the right balance offensively.

It's a fine line between jacking up threes and taking what the defense gives him. Perhaps the sweet spot is around seven 3-point attempts per game, with him also averaging at least eight shots at the rim and another five shots in between.

That way, he could still dominate in the paint, while also punishing teams from outside and anywhere in between.

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