In our big NBA preview, I asked what it might look like if Victor Wembanyama adjusted his shot diet in order to replace a good chunk of his three-point attempts with shots taken closer to the rim. The Spurs’ first game of the season, a 125-92 win over the Mavericks, gave us an answer to that question, and the answer is: a whole lot of trouble for anyone standing in his way.
It would seem that the preseason highlights were not a ruse. Wemby really is bigger, stronger, and ready to make a point of playing a more bruising style in his third year in the league. The guy who somewhat ludicrously shot 8.8 threes per game last season took only two Wednesday night, choosing instead to spend the bulk of his time setting himself up for post touches and facing up defenders at the elbow. It all added up to 40 points and 15 rebounds on 15-of-21 shooting in 30 minutes. And because this is Victor Wembanyama, the three blocks hardly need mentioning.
