Wembabyama is a center

[Dejounte]

No he's not...at least not yet...he's much close to a 3 than a 5 at the moment...

See, there’s more nuance to this

is he playing like a 3? Yeah, you can see it on offense. Defense, nope.

is he the 3 when you look at what players are on the court with him? Definitely nope. There hasnt been two bigs that have shared the court with him. Ever.

given point number 2, how can anyone call him a 3? When people do, is it because they view the five players on the floor as two guards, two forwards (one of them Wemby) whom neither are 4’s, and one 5? It really doesn’t make sense tbh

[mo7888]

See, there’s more nuance to this

is he playing like a 3? Yeah, you can see it on offense. Defense, nope.

is he the 3 when you look at what players are on the court with him? Definitely nope. There hasnt been two bigs that have shared the court with him. Ever.

given point number 2, how can anyone call him a 3? When people do, is it because they view the five players on the floor as two guards, two forwards (one of them Wemby) whom neither are 4’s, and one 5? It really doesn’t make sense tbh

I thought his D on Miller on the perimeter was fine and that's what gives me confidence that he can guard most 3's. Obviously he has the reach to give them trouble when shooting from deep and his wingspan helps a ton on the drive. It would need to be in a particular scheme because he's not nimble enough to be isolated out there on multiple possessions. I do maintain that hes closer to a 3 than a 5 at this point. I see him more as a 3/4 at the moment. It may change when he gets stronger, but he can play minutes at the 3 even though most will come at the 4.

[slick'81]

I thought his D on Miller on the perimeter was fine and that's what gives me confidence that he can guard most 3's. Obviously he has the reach to give them trouble when shooting from deep and his wingspan helps a ton on the drive. It would need to be in a particular scheme because he's not nimble enough to be isolated out there on multiple possessions. I do maintain that hes closer to a 3 than a 5 at this point. I see him more as a 3/4 at the moment. It may change when he gets stronger, but he can play minutes at the 3 even though most will come at the 4.

he'll adjust to the speed of the game

[dbestpro]

Facepalm. NBA sages posting after one preseason game.

[Dejounte]

I thought his D on Miller on the perimeter was fine and that's what gives me confidence that he can guard most 3's. Obviously he has the reach to give them trouble when shooting from deep and his wingspan helps a ton on the drive. It would need to be in a particular scheme because he's not nimble enough to be isolated out there on multiple possessions. I do maintain that hes closer to a 3 than a 5 at this point. I see him more as a 3/4 at the moment. It may change when he gets stronger, but he can play minutes at the 3 even though most will come at the 4.

I guess my point is, is he really a 3 on defense if the player he’s guarding is playing the 4 (who you think is a 3)?

I think a lot of our minds today are stuck to the past idea of what players play nowadays. For a long time, people thought Sengun would be able to play the 4 in the NBA. That never stuck in the NBA.

[RC_Drunkford]

I don't know what y'all talking about. Wembanyama is clearly a 2 guard

[mo7888]

I guess my point is, is he really a 3 on defense if the player he’s guarding is playing the 4 (who you think is a 3)?

I think a lot of our minds today are stuck to the past idea of what players play nowadays. For a long time, people thought Sengun would be able to play the 4 in the NBA. That never stuck in the NBA.

There's alot of truth there. Usually when we are talking about positions we revert to more traditional positioning and that's what I'm doing here. If we are in a lineup where the opposing team has a more traditional lineup, then I have him as being able to guard the 3 position. If the lineup is Jamal Murray, KCP, Braun, MPJ, and Jokic then he will probably drop to the 4.

[r0drig0lac]

one ing game.

[slick'81]

one ing game.

A glorified scrimmage. Still,its going to be a wild first season

[R. DeMurre]

I think one of the secrets to unlocking Wemby's defensive prowess as a defender could be by putting him on the opposing team's least effective offensive player, whether that be a C, PF, or SF, and then letting him play the free safety help defender.

[DAF86]

one ing game.

It is not one game, it is how he played his entire career vs how the Spurs made him play yesterday. I've been beating this drum way before last night's game so this isn't an overeaction to one game. It does worry me a bit that the Spurs appear to see him as a 7'5" SG. But it is not a huge concern because I know that sooner or later they will figure out how to best use him.

Really I just made this thread to bump it whenever Wembanyama inevitably starts playing as a full time center (could be 2 years from now), and just troll yall on how much more I know about this , tbh.

[Tyronn Lue]

It is not one game, it is how he played his entire career vs how the Spurs made him play yesterday. I've been beating this drum way before last night's game so this isn't an overeaction to one game. It does worry me a bit that the Spurs appear to see him as a 7'5" SG. But it is not a huge concern because I know that sooner or later they will figure out how to best use him.

Really I just made this thread to bump it whenever Wembanyama inevitably starts playing as a full time center (could be 2 years from now), and just troll yall on how much more I know about this , tbh.

You're in a no-lose situation. If he dominates you can say the Spurs found the way to play him, which you suggested. If he bombs, you can say the Spurs didn't take your advice. Is being seen as a pundit here that important that you need a book marker booty call?

[DAF86]

You're in a no-lose situation. If he dominates you can say the Spurs found the way to play him, which you suggested. If he bombs, you can say the Spurs didn't take your advice. Is being seen as a pundit here that important that you need a book marker booty call?

No, it isn't important, it's just a fun way to spend some of my off time, tbh.

[LeBowen]

Positions these days are more or less irrelevant. It's about what kind of player you are.

Even though we like ting on him, MDA said it nicely the other day, everyone who has the ball and makes decisions is a point guard.
Then it's about how many point guards with good decision making you can have, without creating defensive issues. He always failed with the last bit, but still.

Wemby should always guard the most passive wing/big. His help defense and rim protection potential is beyond ridiculous and having him guard players man to man is a huge waste.

He'll obviously never be able to guard the likes of Jokic, but Wemby as the nearest help defender on elite post-up bigs should be more impactful than anyone else in the league.
And it's not like there's many elite heavyweight centers in the league.

His offensive game will be the key. If he develops his shot and handles enough to run off all the generic bigs off the floor, then he's most definitely going to be able to play as the biggest man in the lineup.
If he can exploit the likes of Zubac, Nurkic, Adams or even Poeltl on the perimeter, then their teams have no use for them.

Everyone kept talking about his range, despite his low 3pt percentage, but in a lot of highlights I've seen his midrange looked way more reliable. Just simple catch and shoot attempts, LMA style.
He got one of those all game long last night.

All in all, there's a long way to go, but I have no doubt that he'll be significantly more ready at the start of the season. Not just in terms of positioning and knowing his role, but conditioning and balance.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

No, it isn't important, it's just a fun way to spend some of my off time, tbh.

posting is fun. yay!

[DAF86]

You're in a no-lose situation. If he dominates you can say the Spurs found the way to play him, which you suggested. If he bombs, you can say the Spurs didn't take your advice. Is being seen as a pundit here that important that you need a book marker booty call?

Also, how am I in a no-lose scenario? If Wemby becomes a HoF playing like a 7'5" Allen Iverson, I would be completely proven wrong, tbh.

[DAF86]

posting is fun. yay!

Always with a bit of substance, tbh.

[Tyronn Lue]

Also, how am I in a no-lose scenario? If Wemby becomes a HoF playing like a 7'5" Allen Iverson, I would be completely proven wrong, tbh.

"I know that sooner or later they will figure out how to best use him" didn't seem to be investing in your "center" assertion.

[DAF86]

"I know that sooner or later they will figure out how to best use him" didn't seem to be investing in your "center" assertion.

I thought it was very obvious that "how to best use him" implies getting him closer to the basket, tbh.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Always with a bit of substance, tbh.

Of course, that is the best way to lie.

[TD 21]

I think one of the secrets to unlocking Wemby's defensive prowess as a defender could be by putting him on the opposing team's least effective offensive player, whether that be a C, PF, or SF, and then letting him play the free safety help defender.

Yeah. This whole debate is really semantics. He's a hybrid/combo big and like virtually all of them, their individual and team offense is at it's best when they play as the solo big, so the question is how much he can do so now and in the future?

Once his 3 gets to around decent, he'll be able to play alongside any type of big, but I'd still avoid the clear rotational, limited-non shooting C's to maximize flexibility.

It is not one game, it is how he played his entire career vs how the Spurs made him play yesterday. I've been beating this drum way before last night's game so this isn't an overeaction to one game. It does worry me a bit that the Spurs appear to see him as a 7'5" SG. But it is not a huge concern because I know that sooner or later they will figure out how to best use him.

Really I just made this thread to bump it whenever Wembanyama inevitably starts playing as a full time center (could be 2 years from now), and just troll yall on how much more I know about this , tbh.

I wouldn't place any limitations on him right away. One, they're in a position to not do so and two, if he fails (relatively speaking) trying to do it his way, it'll be easier to nudge him into being more of a big on offense without it coming off as a dictatorship.

[taps]

Of course, that is the best way to lie.

Lies mixed in with the truth.

[ismael-robert]

His substance is the undigested corn...still poo

[rankingtear]

Once Victor realized he can't do whatever he wants in the NBA the more receptive he is to coaching. He needs a bit of tear down, his shot selection is absurd. And if he put him in a box this early there would be a lot of push back from him because he was successful doing it in the French league.

I do think his perimeter play is what would make him one of the NBA legends. It would be a crime to not stretch and explore it. Let him do wing stuff, what do you really got to lose? Some meaningless games and some bandwagon fans and some armchair GM who always want to optimize lineups.

[NameLess Scrub]

His size is best used closer to the basket. He shouldn't be jacking up many 3 point shots or dribbling through traffic.

The Spurs need to add real perimeter shooters to the roster.
They have done nothing to set Wemby up with the right teammates, a real PG who can shoot, for a successful rookie year.

If you're 7'5 why would you want to take a bunch of jumpers, get your arse closer to the basket and eat.

He doesn’t have actual size, just height.