Victor Wembanyama's stubborn offensive gamble must start paying off now

"Wemby needs to get stronger so he can play in the post more. He's 7'11", so why is he shooting so many 3s?" These are the comments we see from fans and analysts alike when taking in the Victor Wembanyama experience during Spurs games. The criticisms are valid. With his height and length, domination in the paint seems like the right thing to do.

But three years into his career, he's made one thing very clear: he's not going to stop shooting them. If that's the case, he needs to start making more. The Alien only posted 34% on six attempts a night in the playoffs and 35% on five shots per game in the regular season. That's just not going to get it done.

Wembanyama has already shown us who he wants to be

Athletes are stubborn, and sometimes, the better they are, the harder it is to reach them. This is a 22-year-old who's played basketball for most of his life. He's also been large for most of his life. People have told him to get in the paint from the very beginning, and he's been resistant to fully acquiescing.

The French superstar did play with more force at the beginning of the regular season campaign, only shooting four threes a night from October until the end of December. Then that number jumped to six a game when the calendar turned to 2026.

This is an analytics-driven age. Everyone understands how valuable the three-ball is, but the attempts need to make sense. The cost of being a high-volume three-point shooter is higher for Wemby than it is for just about everyone else in the league. There's a reason why defenses have routinely said it lets them off the hook when Vic shoots from deep rather than destroying them in the paint.

That changes by optimizing those looks. A higher percentage turns those possessions into a lose-lose situation for defenders.

Better shooting will create more post opportunities

We've already seen some of this. When Wemby's shot is falling, his pump fake is deadly. He drives by would-be contests as they fly by, looking silly for ever believing they'd even have a shot to block the shot. Unfortunately for them, it's second nature to put your hand up and jump after someone drills a few baskets.

A higher percentage means more manipulation of the defense. If that's happening consistently, fine. He can get there with the unbelievable touch he possesses and the form he shoots with. However, it's fair to point out that this is still a very young player, far from his prime. That understanding applies to the filling out of his frame as well as his skill growth.

So, it's not that Wembanyama shouldn't keep refining his post-game. He absolutely should. But he's also clearly determined to get his Steph Curry on. So, if he's going to keep firing more than five threes a night, becoming one of the NBA's best shooting big men is a skill that raises both his floor and his ceiling.

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