Victor Wembanyama may have already shown San Antonio the easiest path to a bigger offensive leap.
Buried in the Spurs’ playoff run was a skill that doesn’t always get top billing with a player built like Wembanyama: he was the best postseason finisher among all players on drives, ranking first in field goal percentage on those possessions. That kind of efficiency doesn’t just stand out - it points straight at a repeatable part of his game the Spurs should lean into next season.
He attacked the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks in the playoffs by putting the ball on the floor, and that approach makes plenty of sense. Wembanyama’s shooting forces big men away from the basket, and once they’re pulled out of their comfort zone, he can pump-fake and get downhill.
Against centers especially, that’s a clean recipe. It’s also one he can use again and again.
That showed up in the postseason matchup data too. When he was guarded by Isaiah Hartenstein or Karl-Anthony Towns, he kept taking them off the dribble.
The logic is simple: if Wembanyama is operating away from the rim, teams have a harder time loading up on him with double-teams. And if the defender is a center, that player has to stop a drive instead of waiting around the paint, which is a different problem entirely.
The numbers from August 4, 2026 only sharpen that picture. In the 2025-26 NBA Playoffs, Wembanyama led all players with at least 20 pick-and-roll ball-handler possessions in points per possession, posting 1.38 PPP. Ayo Dosunmu followed at 1.21, with Paul George at 1.18, Payton Pritchard at 1.17, Dylan Harper at 1.12 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander next in the ranking.
That kind of production fits what the Spurs need from him far more than a heavy diet of post-ups. The idea that Wembanyama should become more of a back-to-the-basket scorer sounds tidy in theory, but last season he struggled badly in that role. He turned the ball over on 18.1% of his post-up possessions, making him one of the least efficient post players in the league.
The better version of Wembanyama is the one San Antonio already saw: shooting threes, stretching the floor, and then attacking the rim off the dribble once defenders are on their heels. That spacing matters even more because it opens the floor for the Spurs’ trio of slashers and gives the offense room to breathe.
There’s still room for a mixed bag - some mid-range jumpers, some rolls to the basket, and even the occasional post-up. But the postseason made the larger point clear. If Wembanyama keeps leaning into his drive game, he has a straightforward way to take another step as a scorer, and the Spurs could benefit just as much as he does.
In Other News...
Spurs Have A Real Reason To Watch OKCs Latest Power Play
Oklahoma Citys latest roster move has a ripple effect that reaches well beyond its own depth chart. By handing out a two-year, $12 million offer sheet to restricted free agent Spencer Jones, the Thunder added another layer to a summer spent pressuring the Western Conferences established teams, and Denver already felt the squeeze as its luxury-tax situation got even tighter in the process.
For San Antonio, the intrigue is less about Jones himself and more about what Oklahoma City keeps doing around the margins. The Thunder also have future first-round picks from Denver, including the 2025 and 2029 selections, and their dealings with Atlanta remain worth monitoring because of how they could influence the Spurs own draft outlook through a swap on the Hawks 2026 pick. In a conference where every asset matters, the Thunder keep finding ways to make their moves matter for other teams, too. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Rookies Bring One Immediate Frontcourt Question Into Focus
The Spurs used their two first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft to add more size up front, bringing in Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr. as part of a frontcourt that already includes Victor Wembanyama, Luke Kornet and Tobias Harris. After a recent run to the NBA Finals, the move fits a clear goal: deepen a group that was already one of the most closely watched on the roster.
Even with the new arrivals, the early read on how San Antonios front line will come together is still complicated. Quaintance is working through an injury that will keep him out to open his rookie season, while Reed is the one the Spurs can count on sooner, which makes his role worth tracking as the team tries to sort out how all that size fits together. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama May Have Already Given Spurs Their Next Offensive Breakthrough
Victor Wembanyamas postseason usage already offered a glimpse of where the Spurs can push their offense next. San Antonio experimented with putting the 7-foot-4 star in pick-and-roll situations as the ball handler, and the results were hard to ignore, giving him cleaner scoring chances and a more varied path to the basket than the usual big-man menu.
For a team still trying to define the best way to maximize its franchise centerpiece, that matters. Wembanyamas combination of ball screens, three-point shooting and downhill drives could become the Spurs most dangerous offensive lane if they lean into it more often, especially with his post-up game proving less reliable than the rest of his skill set. [Read more 🡒]