Victor Wembanyama’s next offensive leap may come from the same place Tobias Harris has lived for years: the middle of the floor.
That’s the real intrigue in Harris joining San Antonio. He brings a veteran scoring game built around the mid-range, and that gives the Spurs another player who can punish defenses from the spots that matter most. Pick-and-pops, post-ups, catches on the move - Harris has spent his 13-year career making that area work for him.
For San Antonio, that kind of presence changes the geometry of the court. Defenses can’t just load up on the paint or sell out to the three-point line when Harris is on the floor. They have to respect the middle too, and that opens more space for everyone else.
But the bigger question still circles back to Wembanyama.
Last season, he started working on getting to the center of the floor more often. That area gives him a full menu of options, but he didn’t get there enough, and outside of Devin Vassell, the Spurs didn’t really capitalize on it as a team. If that changes, the offense gets a lot harder to guard.
Wembanyama still needs to sharpen his game from the free-throw line and the elbows, whether he’s operating from the center or either side. That’s where the next jump lives.
From those spots, he can punish drop coverage, create short-roll chances, and open cleaner passing lanes. Once he’s catching the ball there, the defense has to account for everything at once.
That’s the kind of territory where great big men take over. Spurs fans who remember prime Tim Duncan - and even the later version of Timmy D - know what an offense can look like when the elbows become a weapon. If you want a more modern reference point, Nikola Jokic has made a career of tearing coverages apart from that same area.
San Antonio has to push Wembanyama toward that level of control. He’s already shown he can facilitate, and with a dependable jumper plus faster decisions, he becomes even more dangerous. From the middle of the floor, he can drive, hit cutters, throw lobs, go at slower centers, shoot over smaller defenders, back them down, or kick out to shooters.
That’s why Harris matters so much. He should help the Spurs get more out of the middle right away. And if his arrival also speeds up Wembanyama’s growth there, the signing becomes even more valuable.
In Other News...
Shaq Just Put The Spurs In A Different Conversation
Shaquille ONeal has a way of turning a conversation about the Spurs into something bigger, and he did it again at Fanatics Fest. ONeal voiced real confidence in Victor Wembanyama and San Antonios direction, framing the young star as the kind of rare, versatile big man who can lift a franchise back into championship territory.
The more interesting part is where ONeal sees the path getting difficult. He pointed to the Oklahoma City Thunder as the Spurs most likely hurdle in the Western Conference, but still sounded convinced San Antonio can get through it if Wembanyama keeps taking over games. For a team still building around its centerpiece, that kind of belief from a Hall of Fame center says plenty about how far the Spurs have already come in the leagues eyes. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Rookie Dylan Harper Is Already Becoming A Huge Collector Name
Dylan Harpers rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs has already pushed him into a different kind of spotlight, one that follows players off the court and into the hobby. The first-round buzz around his cards has been building quickly, and that momentum will be on display Friday when Harper makes his first appearance at the National Sports Collectors Convention, joining an eBay Live break with seller Blez.
Harper is not the only name from the family showing up in Chicago. Ron Harper Sr. is set for a Saturday eBay Live stream tied to Michael Jordan collectibles, adding another layer to a weekend that already has plenty of collector intrigue around the Spurs rookie. For a player whose cards have become a hot item so early, the convention is the latest reminder that his market is moving almost as fast as his basketball profile. [Read more 🡒]