The San Antonio Spurs have already shown they can make a serious jump, but the next one will depend on Victor Wembanyama doing more than just scoring and overwhelming defenders.
After an impressive run to the NBA Finals ended with a loss to the New York Knicks, San Antonio enters next season with one clear offensive need: more consistency. Wembanyama sits at the center of that conversation.
He’s already one of the league’s most difficult offensive players to handle, thanks in large part to his size and the constant problems that creates for defenses. But the Spurs need him to sharpen one specific part of his game if they want the offense to climb again.
That area is playmaking.
Wembanyama has the kind of gravity that forces teams to send extra attention his way, which naturally opens things up for teammates. Even without doing anything special, he is going to create some advantages just by touching the ball.
But the Spurs need more than that. They need him to become a better passer both when he’s handling the ball and when he’s operating out of the post.
The numbers back up the concern. Wembanyama averaged 3.1 assists per game last season, the lowest figure of his three-year career so far.
In the playoffs, that dropped to 2.7. And according to Databallr, the shots his teammates got off the chances he created resulted in a 71.0% effective field goal percentage, which placed him in the 20th percentile of NBA players.
That’s not enough for someone drawing the kind of defensive pressure he does.
San Antonio does have other players who can handle the ball. Dylan Harper, De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle are all part of the group expected to help drive the offense next season.
Still, Wembanyama remains the focal point. Any star with that much usage, whether he’s creating off the dribble or working inside, has to be able to set others up too.
He doesn’t need to become Nikola Jokic. But if Wembanyama makes a real leap as a passer, it would give the Spurs’ offense a much better chance to reach another level.
In Other News...
Spurs Backcourt Battle Could Shape Wembanyamas Next Step
The Spurs backcourt picture is starting to come into focus as the team heads toward next season, and the decision at point guard could say plenty about how San Antonio wants to accelerate Victor Wembanyamas growth. DeAaron Fox is still positioned as the starter, giving the Spurs a proven lead guard with a major role on the books, while Dylan Harper arrives as the kind of young talent that naturally tempts fans to imagine a faster handoff.
Fox also spent the summer building chemistry with Wembanyama, a development that matters for a team trying to make the game easier for its franchise centerpiece. Harper remains an intriguing part of the long-term plan, but the expectation is that he will begin his Spurs run in a reserve role for at least another season, leaving the staff to balance present-day stability with the appeal of another high-upside creator waiting in the wings. [Read more 🡒]
Stephon Castle Faces The Spurs Challenge Russell Westbrook Never Solved
Russell Westbrooks retirement closes the book on one of the most explosive careers the league has ever seen, and it also offers a useful measuring stick for the Spurs own young guard room. Stephon Castle is being mentioned in the same breath for good reason: the forceful, downhill style, the willingness to attack the rim, and the kind of all-around pressure that can bend a defense without waiting for a clean look from deep.
Where Castle can separate himself is in the part of the game Westbrook never fully conquered, especially in the postseason. His early shooting gains have been encouraging, and if that progress continues, the Spurs could end up with a player who brings Westbrook-like juice while adding the one layer that made those great runs so hard to sustain. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Get An Early Test Of How Real This Rise Is
The Spurs are about to find out plenty about themselves before the calendar even turns to November. Their early slate is packed with difficult opponents and relentless travel demands, including 13 back-to-backs and a stretch of four games in six nights before Oct. 31, giving San Antonio very little room to ease into the season. For a team trying to prove its rise is for real, the opening month looks less like a warmup and more like an examination.
Victor Wembanyama enters that grind with a clear individual goal: raise his offensive production and strengthen his case as an MVP-level force after last seasons experience. The good news for San Antonio is that the schedule should offer an immediate measuring stick against some of the Wests stronger teams, the kind of early test that can either accelerate belief or expose how much work still remains. [Read more 🡒]