Victor Wembanyama had a difficult start to the new NBA season, making just one field goal on 13 attempts against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The San Antonio Spurs star finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks in a 116-104 loss. His poor shooting caught the attention of former NBA star Carmelo Anthony, who questioned whether Wembanyama had improved his offensive skills over the summer. Speaking on his 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, Anthony said he did not see the kind of developed skill set he expected from the young center. While Wembanyama made an impact on defense, his struggles in front of the basket raised questions about how he can score when his shots are not falling.
Carmelo Anthony Questions Victor Wembanyama’s Offensive Skills
Anthony explained that he wanted to see more than Wembanyama’s attempts to score from the elbow, mid-post and face-up positions.
“What have you worked on? Skill set-wise?” Melo said, speaking on his 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast.
“Ask somebody who went through that and always tried to figure out how to get better every summer. I have to work on. And that’s why skill set is so important, man. Like, I want to see, and again, this is his first game, but in that first game, I didn’t see any developed skill set. Like, I saw what he was trying to do. He was trying to get to the elbow, trying to get to the mid-post, face-ups. I see that. But, like, the skill set, I’m waiting to see that. Like, that’s what my eye is gonna be on this year for Wemby.”
Anthony’s main concern was that Wembanyama should make better use of his size near the basket instead of depending too much on jump shots.
“When I say skill set, you can’t be seven-whatever and not have that skill set. Yeah. Like, you can have the handles, and being able to do all the other shit is a plus. When you’re that. Or you look at it the other way. The post-up game is a plus.”
Victor Wembanyama Admits He Needs To Think Less
Anthony also pointed to simple post moves that could help Wembanyama become a more reliable scorer.
“When I know that all eyes are on me, Wenby. So if I face up, did I work on that enough to make that a threat on the face-up? right? So now, as I work on that, and that’s gonna take time. Again, that’s gonna take time to develop that, right? But did I work on that enough to at least be a threat with that? Did I work on back to the basket traditional jump, right hook, left hook? Did I work on that enough to be effective? Just a little bit, just to add to my game.”
Wembanyama also acknowledged his mistakes after the defeat, saying he needed to stop overthinking his shots.
“I missed lots of shots, which I usually don’t miss. But after that, I didn’t go back to these shots. I wasn’t decisive. I might be overthinking it, and I feel like it’s a chance for me. What I have to do is really let go. I don’t need to do more. I need to think less, probably,” Wembanyama said.
He will look to respond after a night in which his defensive work stood out more than his scoring.
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