It appears Victor Wembanyama has been figured out—for now. Over the last two games, the French superstar has played his worst offensive basketball since his rookie season. Something is not right. All of a sudden, the Alien is no longer looking like an extraterrestrial. Changes need to be made immediately.
Once again, Luka Doncic has conquered Wembanyama. In the Spurs' 118-116 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Doncic outscored the Spurs' star 35-19 and, all around, looked like the better offensive weapon. As the pair battle it out to claim the MVP trophy this season, Wednesday's brawl heavily leaned in favor of the Don.
Luka Doncic is now 5-0 against Wembanyama, with no end to the streak in sight. While not typically matched up against each other, Luka Magic has had his way over the Frenchman. Victor will get another chance to get the monkey off his back on January 7th in San Antonio.
Victor Wembanyama still has a lot of learning to do
You have to remember that Victor is only 21. Yet, I don't blame you if you are frustrated. It sucks to see the star of the team struggle, especially after a start that had him in the driver's seat for MVP. But if Wembanyama truly is the talent that we think he is, he will bounce back from this.
Above all, Wembanyama must figure out what to do when he faces pressure. For the first two seasons of his career, teams weren't taking the rising superstar as seriously. While he most certainly drew tough assignments, he wasn't receiving multiple bodies on every possession like he is now. This is a difficult thing to adjust to.
When you are playing your whole life in isolation and one-on-one situations, it is a tough transition to make when you start to face doubles and even triples. While it is the ultimate sign of respect, it will be a new challenge for Vic to overcome. So far, he hasn't looked great in these scenarios.
Still, even in his opportunities, the big man hasn't been as aggressive as he once was. In the season-opening match against the Dallas Mavericks, Wembanyama was giving Anthony Davis hell. He was attacking him from all angles and using every chance he got to make a play. The same can't be said over the past two games. And that is with much weaker competition in his way.
To put it simply, Victor needs to mature. He is still coming into his own, which is undoubtedly a frightening prospect. But with that will come some natural youthful struggles. There is no doubt in my mind that Victor will figure this whole thing out. For now, he will need to return to the drawing board and work with his head coach to overcome the growing pains.
