Victor Wembanyama is reaching new offensive heights by tuning out his critics

After a rough start to the season, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama appears to have unlocked a new level while tuning out critics. Wembanyama got flak for going just 1-13 on opening night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he's been a different player since then.

His play over the last eight games proves it, with him now averaging a terrific 29.1 points. Instead of attempting to post up and force up a contested shot or get double- or triple-teamed, he has largely avoided doing so. Ironically, posting up less and rolling the basket more has worked like a charm, proving he doesn't need to be a back-to-the-basket player.

He leads the NBA in dunks with 5.1 per game, and many have been assisted by De'Aaron Fox. Fox has been terrific at finding Wembanyama for alley-oops, matching Stephon Castle as the team's best lob threat. They are followed closely by Devin Vassell, who is quietly one of San Antonio's best at getting him the ball.

Victor Wembanyama is playing his best ball without posting up

San Antonio has done a much better job of getting him the ball, and Wembanyama has thrived scoring in the paint even though he isn't posting up. Despite that, his shooting percentage has suffered, though that's not due to him running more pick-and-roll.

He's taking more mid-range jumpers than last season but shooting worse from that area. Interestingly enough, Wembanyama is a surprisingly bad mid-range shooter, despite having great form and easily getting his shot off.

Even dating back to last season, he struggled from mid-range. However, taking more mid-range jumpers and threes is a worthwhile gamble if it means he's taking high-quality shots at the rim. That has been the case with him converting on a staggering 57.7% of his 15.2 2-point attempts per game.

Victor Wembanyama is finally taking the right shots

I have long been skeptical of the idea of Wembanyama needing to be a dominant post-up threat. Unless he becomes Nikola Jokic, it's hard for a big man to be super efficient while being a high-volume post-up player.

Instead, him rolling hard to the basket and making himself available for lobs is a far better strategy. Not only is it harder for defenses to double, but it also leads to open threes with defenders leaving the corners to send help to a rolling Wembanyama.

Combine Wembanyama rolling to the basket with him experimenting with taking mid-range jumpers and shooting six threes per game, and that is the perfect shot diet.

If his mid-range shooting improves and when the 3-point shot comes around, Wembanyama's scoring could take a huge leap. That has been made possible by Wembanyama ignoring critics who want him to play more like a traditional center.

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