Victor Wembanyama's underrated improvement is key to the Spurs' title hopes

Victor Wembanyama's offensive development has been trending upward since his rookie year. Last season, he attempted a total of 450 free throws, which was the highest mark of his career. Continuing to increase his volume and accuracy will be important for the Spurs' offense, especially in the clutch, where they struggled during the Finals.

With all of his jaw-dropping dunks and otherworldly blocked shots, free throws aren't nearly the most entertaining part of Wemby's game. But that doesn't mean they don't hold value; getting to the line is a key element of his offensive attack, and that's the case for any elite scorer in the league.

Wemby's foul-drawing will be a key asset in his offensive arsenal

Star players and their free-throw attempts are always going to be a point of contention amongst the NBA fanbase. Over the last few years, it's been impossible to avoid the debates about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's constant trips to the line, and we saw a similar dynamic with James Harden during the late 2010s.

But a big part of why those two were elite scorers was their ability to manipulate defenders and get to the charity stripe. It's an effective tool on big stages like the playoffs, where the game slows down and becomes more half-court oriented.

All summer, critics have been talking about Victor Wembanyama needing to grow as a shot creator, and they're right. One of the best ways he can improve in that area is by taking a page out of his rival's book and continuing to perfect his ability to bait defenders into fouling him.

Last season, a good number of Wemby's free-throw attempts came from defenders fouling him near the basket to prevent easy finishes. Next up for him is finding more ways to draw contact on isolations and one-on-one plays farther away from the paint.

Victor must improve his free throw accuracy on the biggest stages

In his third season, Victor Wembanyama made 82.7% of his free throws, which is an impressive mark for a player at his height and position. He also shot well in the playoffs, converting 84.7% at the line.

But there were some issues in the NBA Finals, as he missed several of his clutch attempts at the stripe. Those were lost opportunities that made a massive difference in that series. I mean, who knows what would've happened if he drained his free throws during the late stretch of Game 4?

A lot of that could've been due to him being gassed late in games; he played a ton of minutes throughout that championship round, which ultimately limited his effectiveness in the clutch. Luckily, the Spurs are better equipped to manage that next season since they added more depth to their interior rotation.

With Victor's legs underneath him, he can be a more accurate free-throw shooter down the stretch, which will be huge for the Spurs. Trusting your best player at the line late in games is important and could be the difference between losing and winning on the biggest stages.

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