Victor Wembanyama is turning the paint into his personal highlight reel, and the numbers are getting absurd.
The Spurs star is leading the league in dunks at 5.1 per game, a pace that would put him on track to smash the NBA’s single-season dunk record. It would also mean one player is throwing down more dunks than 23 NBA teams. That’s not just efficient - that’s ridiculous.
What makes it even more dangerous is how those finishes are tied to the rest of his game. Wembanyama isn’t only terrorizing opponents on defense anymore. He’s also sitting second in the league in scoring, and the offensive jump is coming from a simpler, more ruthless approach: rolling harder to the basket and cashing in on easier looks.
San Antonio’s guard play has helped unlock that. The Spurs now have three players who can deliver the kind of passes Wembanyama needs, and De’Aaron Fox has been especially good in that role.
He has taken over as the team’s best lob thrower from Stephon Castle. Harper has also been finding him for easy baskets, and Devin Vassell has emerged as a surprisingly strong lob passer while still giving the Spurs a dependable shooter.
That mix has made life much easier for Wembanyama, and the results are loud. He’s averaging 30.3 points while shooting 64.5% on 14.3 2-point attempts per game, a stretch that suggests the Spurs are only now seeing the full force of what he can do as an offensive player.
At 7-foot-5, Wembanyama is a rolling nightmare. He’s the biggest lob threat in NBA history, and even a shaky pass in his direction can still end with two points.
If defenses collapse on his rolls, they’re leaving a shooter open on the perimeter. It’s the oldest dilemma in the book: pick your poison, and hope it doesn’t kill you.
Right now, Wembanyama is making teams pay either way. His scoring has climbed from 25 points per game last season to more than 30 this year, and if that holds, the dunk surge will be a major reason why.
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Nets Fans Should Watch One Costly Trade Possibility Closely
The Spurs have spent the offseason reinforcing a roster that already looks familiar, bringing back most of last seasons group and adding veteran forward Tobias Harris to help with the shooting around their young core. Harris is currently sidelined with a calf injury, which has only sharpened the focus on San Antonios need for more reliable perimeter production as the team tries to round out its rotation.
Michael Porter Jr. has emerged as a name to watch in that conversation, with media speculation linking the Spurs to a possible trade for the Brooklyn forward. Nothing is settled, but the idea fits the broader picture in San Antonio, where the front office has shown a willingness to keep searching for more spacing and scoring on the wing if the right opportunity comes along. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Face A Wembanyama Problem Ahead Of Warriors Showdown
Friday nights matchup with Golden State arrives at a tricky moment for San Antonio, even with the Warriors coming in without Stephen Curry because of an oblique tear. The Spurs are dealing with their own health questions, and the timing matters with a 9:30 p.m. ET tip in San Antonio against a team that can still make life difficult even when its biggest star is unavailable.
DeAaron Fox is listed as questionable with left hip soreness, while Devin Vassell is questionable because of left adductor tightness. Tobias Harris and Jayden Quaintance have already been ruled out, leaving the Spurs with more uncertainty than they would like heading into a game that could hinge as much on availability as on matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Suddenly Face A New Problem Before Spurs Matchup
Stephen Currys oblique abdominal tear changes the tone of the Warriors trip into their matchup with the Spurs, because Golden State now has to navigate at least the next two weeks without its primary offensive engine. The expectation inside the organization is that the absence will stretch closer to a month, which puts even more pressure on a roster that will need to find scoring and structure in a hurry.
Gary Payton II is expected back in the lineup after missing two games with left knee inflammation, giving the Warriors a needed defensive presence as they try to steady themselves without Curry. Payton recently re-signed on a one-year deal, and his return should help on the perimeter, but the bigger question is how Golden State fills the void left by its star while the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]