Richard Jefferson likes what Victor Wembaneyama is doing, but believes the French center faces unique obstacles in his NBA career.
Victor Wembaneyama is truly an anomaly, I have never seen a player over 7 feet tall and as skilled as the Frenchman.
The San Antonio Spurs big man started the season off very well, playing some great basketball. However, the last two games have shown that there is still room for growth.
Kendrick Perkins claimed that Luka Doncic outperformed Wembaneyama defensively during the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Spurs.
However, Richard Jefferson believes Wembaneyama’s struggles stem from the unique challenges faced by his physical gifts.
Richard Jefferson talked about Victor Wembaneyama’s struggles against the Lakers on his podcast “Road Trippin’.”
He believes Wenbanyama is in a difficult position as there has never been a player like him in the past and he does not have the blueprint of a historic player to follow.
“I think Wenby is clearly dominant. But he doesn’t have a blueprint. He doesn’t have a blueprint…Even LeBron had a Magic Johnson blueprint, a Scottie Pippen blueprint…
“For Michael Jordan, there’s Kobe Bryant. There’s a certain blueprint of, ‘This is me, this is how other players like me have dominated the game.’
“He’s at a level where we haven’t had a player like him before. So we know he can dominate the game, but how does he figure out how to dominate the game at a consistent level where he can’t be stopped?”
“He has that ability. They just don’t understand it. There’s no blueprint, so he might need a little more time.”
“You had little guards like Allen Iverson who could score. You had guys like Isiah Thomas… John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton.
“We’ve had players with blueprints all over the league. He’s a player that’s a far cry from any blueprint we’ve ever seen, which means it’s going to be even more difficult for coaches to figure out how to best use him.”
“His body has become so strong. But where is the best use of him? Because there is no blueprint! There is no blueprint…
Victor Wembaneyama is learning that his size and skill do not guarantee success in the NBA. He now needs to figure out how to get the most out of his tools.
If he doesn’t do that, Wembaneyama could be spotted by other defensemen and it will be very difficult for him to put up the big numbers that many expect him to have in his career.
At the beginning of the season, Wenbanyama led multiple NBA teams in blocks. But now his numbers are decreasing very gradually and he must try to understand the situation.
As it is still early in the season, Wenbanyama has the advantage of being able to meet the challenges and ensure he can live up to the high expectations that entered the season.