Victor Wembanyama's blueprint for success with Spurs is staring him in the face

Lost in the San Antonio Spurs' NBA playoff run was star Victor Wembanyama showcasing an underrated skill that could transform his game. He ranked first among postseason players in field goal percentage on drives. 

Scoring that efficiently on drives is an impressive feat and something that should be featured more next season. After all, he attacked the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks in the playoffs by putting the ball on the floor.

Leveraging his shooting ability to force big men away from the basket, then pump-faking and driving, is clearly a recipe for success. It's also easily replicable. Especially against teams that rely on centers to guard Wembanyama, as was the case in the playoffs. 

Wembanyama attacking the basket unlocks his offensive potential

That suggests teams are moving away from having guards and wings defend Wembanyama, which could free him up to attack off the dribble more. When guarded by Isaiah Hartenstein or Karl-Anthony Towns, he relentlessly took them off the dribble.

Playing away from the rim makes it harder for teams to double-team him. It also forces opposing big men to contain drives, something they aren't necessarily used to when it's another center attacking them. 

Wemby scoring effectively on his drives is case in point. If he's going to be that effective attacking the paint, then he simply needs to do more of that to improve offensively next season. 

Not only could that be a recipe for offensive success for Wembanyama, but it could be for the Spurs as well. 

The Spurs need Victor Wembanyama to switch up his offensive approach

He obviously draws plenty of attention on both sides of the ball and can find teammates on drives for easy baskets. 

For all the talk of Wembanyama needing to be more of a back-to-the-basket player, he struggled mightily in that role last season. He coughed the ball up on a staggering 18.1% of his post-up possessions. That resulted in him being one of the least efficient post players in the league. 

He obviously improved in that regard, but he's at his best when aggressively shooting threes and attacking the rim off the dribble.

Shooting threes pulls his defender away from the basket and gives San Antonio maximum spacing for their trio of slashers. It also sets up Wembanyama's drive game, which should be a bigger part of his offensive shot diet next season. 

Mixing some mid-range jumpers, some rolls to the basket, and yes, even the occasional post-up, and he could very easily level up as a scorer next season. His performance in the postseason hints at that.

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