About Victor Wembanyama and the Rookie of the Year Race...
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the impressive performance of a rookie player, likely referring to Victor Wembanyama, in the NBA. The conversation revolves around the player's impact on the game, his development throughout the season, and his unique skill set that includes high usage rates, exceptional defensive stats, and a notable improvement in fundamentals such as footwork and shot selection. The speakers also touch upon the strategic use of screens and pick-and-roll plays involving the player, his efficiency in scoring, and the challenges he poses to opposing teams. The discussion highlights the player's rapid growth and the excitement he brings to the game, indicating a promising future for both the player and the team.
Takeaways
- π Apologies were made for previous discussions that may have come off as flippant regarding the Rookie of the Year candidate from Alabama.
- π The Spurs' fanbase was highly attentive to every detail of the discussion, showing their dedication and understanding of the game.
- π Wanyama's performance has been exceptional, leading to discussions about his potential as Rookie of the Year and his impact on the team's success.
- π Wanyama's offensive skills have been highlighted, particularly his ability to adapt and exploit mismatches on the court.
- π« Defensively, Wanyama's presence is felt through his shot-blocking and ability to deter opponents from taking shots at the rim.
- π₯ Post-All-Star break, Wanyama's shooting efficiency, especially on pull-up threes, has been impressive and a key factor in his game.
- π The statistics presented in the discussion showcase Wanyama's all-around contributions, including blocks, steals, and points per minute.
- π Wanyama's unique combination of assists, blocks, and three-pointers made places him in exclusive NBA company.
- π‘ The growth in Wanyama's fundamentals, such as footwork and positioning, has been noticeable and contributes to his overall game improvement.
- π€ The pick and roll play with Wanyama and his teammates has been effective, with Trey Jones and Wanyama ranking high in the league in this aspect.
- π The impact of Wanyama on the Spurs' defensive rating is significant, showing his importance to the team's defensive strategy.
Q & A
When did the discussion about the Rookie of the Year first take place?
-The discussion about the Rookie of the Year first took place around Christmas, in the first episode released in January 2024.
Which player did the speakers initially seem flippant about when discussing the Rookie of the Year?
-The speakers initially seemed flippant about discussing Wembanyama as the Rookie of the Year.
What team's fanbase felt the discussion was disrespectful?
-The Spurs' fanbase felt the discussion was disrespectful.
Which player did the speaker believe was leading for Rookie of the Year at the time of the initial discussion?
-The speaker believed Chad Hren was leading for Rookie of the Year at the time of the initial discussion.
What is Wanyama's performance described as in the script?
-Wanya's performance is described as one of the best rookie seasons of all time, with outstanding recent play that has positively impacted the team's winning.
What aspect of Wanyama's game has improved throughout the year?
-Wanya's fundamentals, such as footwork, positioning, shot selection, and overall decisiveness with the ball, have improved throughout the year.
What is the significance of Wanyama's statistics in the context of NBA history?
-Wanya's statistics are historic, as he is the only player in NBA history with 175 assists, 175 blocks, and 75 made threes in a season.
How has Wanyama's defensive impact been described?
-Wanya's defensive impact has been described as significant, with the team's defense rating being much worse when he is off the court. He is also top 10 in defensive EPM (Estimated Plus-Minus) for the year.
What is the commentators' stance on Wanyama's future in the league?
-The commentators are excited about Wanyama's future in the league, noting his rapid improvement and the potential for continued growth in his fundamentals and overall game.
How has Wanyama's role within the team evolved?
-Wanya's role has evolved from being a high-usage player with a significant burden on his shoulders to a player who is more effectively utilizing his unique skill set and exploiting mismatches.
What is the commentators' view on the team's strategy involving Wanyama?
-The commentators appreciate the team's strategy of moving Wanyama around the court, using various screening angles, and involving him in different plays, which puts a lot of strain on the defense.
Outlines
π Apologies and Rookie of the Year Discussion
The speaker begins by addressing a previous discussion about the Rookie of the Year that took place around Christmas 2023. They acknowledge that their conversation may have come off as flippant to a certain fan base and offer an apology. Despite the apology, the speaker maintains their belief in Chad Hryn as the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year at that time. However, they also recognize the exceptional performance of Wembanyama, highlighting his outstanding play and impact on winning. The speaker discusses the Spurs' recent performance and Wembanyama's role, emphasizing the team's strategic use of screens and movements to maximize his strengths. They also touch on Wembanyama's ability to adapt and improve throughout the season, particularly in terms of positioning and handling the ball.
π Wembanyama's Impact and Statistical Highlights
This paragraph delves deeper into Wembanyama's impact on the court, with a focus on his offensive and defensive contributions. The speaker discusses the various ways Wembanyama is utilized by the Spurs, including pick and roll plays and how he exploits mismatches. The paragraph is rich with statistics that underscore Wembanyama's impressive rookie season, such as his league-leading blocks, steals, and unique ability to combine scoring, assisting, and shot-blocking. The speaker also highlights Wembanyama's efficiency and growth, particularly in his shot selection and footwork, and how these improvements have contributed to his success against various defensive strategies.
π Wembanyama's Screen and Roll Efficiency
The focus of this paragraph is on Wembanyama's efficiency when coming off screens and his role in pick and roll situations. The speaker provides specific statistics that demonstrate Wembanyama's effectiveness in these scenarios, comparing his performance to other notable players in the league. They also discuss the strategic partnership between Wembanyama and his teammates, particularly Deon Vel and Trey Jones, and how their combined efforts have contributed to the Spurs' offensive success. The paragraph further explores Wembanyama's defensive prowess, especially his ability to protect the rim and alter opponents' shots. The speaker emphasizes the importance of Wembanyama's continued growth and development in terms of footwork and defensive positioning.
π Fundamentals and Development of Wembanyama's Game
In this paragraph, the speaker reflects on the fundamentals of basketball and how Wembanyama's game has evolved throughout the season. They discuss the difference between skill set and fundamentals, emphasizing the importance of the latter for young players entering the league. The speaker notes improvements in Wembanyama's footwork, balance, and shot selection, and how these fundamental aspects have contributed to his overall performance. They also touch on Wembanyama's defensive capabilities, highlighting his ability to adapt to different situations and maintain a strong presence on the court. The paragraph concludes with observations on Wembanyama's screening efficiency and his continued growth in this area, reinforcing the idea that his fundamentals are trending in a positive direction.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Rookie of the Year
π‘San Antonio Spurs
π‘Wembanyama
π‘Offensive Strategy
π‘Defensive Impact
π‘Pick and Roll
π‘Shooting Efficiency
π‘Player Development
π‘Team Dynamics
π‘Statistical Analysis
π‘Apology
Highlights
Apology for previous flippant discussion on W Bama's Rookie of the Year
Recognition of Spurs fans' detailed analysis of every word and body language
Acknowledgment of Wembanyama's outstanding performance and impact on winning
Discussion on Wembanyama's offensive strategies and movements
Wembanyama's exceptional performance post All-Star break and his shooting abilities
Wembanyama's high usage rate compared to other rookies and NBA players
Wembanyama's defensive skills and his ability to block shots and alter opponents' strategies
Wembanyama's unique skill set and his adaptability to different roles on the court
Wembanyama's impressive statistics, including points per game, blocks, and shooting percentages
Wembanyama's impact on team defense and how it improves with his presence on the court
Wembanyama's growth in fundamentals and noticeable improvement in footwork and positioning
Wembanyama's effectiveness in post-ups against non-centers and his high efficiency rate
Wembanyama's ability to handle double teams and his improvement in dealing with physical contact
Wembanyama's increasing confidence and decisiveness when handling the ball
Wembanyama's impact on screening and how he's improved in making contact and setting up screens
The overall enjoyment and appreciation of Wembanyama's gameplay and his potential for future development
Transcripts
I I want to touch on one thing first
which is we had a rookie of the year
discussion right around
Christmas uh I think it was the first
episode we put out uh in January in
2024
and to a certain fan
base I think our discussion came off a
little flippant when we were talking
about W Bama's Rookie of the Year for
all three of us I would like to
apologize for that I would like to
apologize however at and by the way you
can the Spurs fans did it they they
literally examined every word every bit
of our body language like I get it we
came across flipping and I I I'm owning
that and I'm admitting that and I'm
apologizing for that however at the time
although I came off flippant I still
believed that at the time I would have
Chad hren in the lead for Rookie of the
Year at the
time
wanyama uh is having I would say one of
the best rookie seasons of all time I I
don't think that's like a
hyperbole uh his play of late has been
outstanding they've got their lineups
right now where like when he's on the
court it's impacting winning now it's
not imp impacting winning at the highest
level where they're moving up the
standings and you know going to be in
the playoffs but it's it's really good
basketball and uh we're going to talk
rookie of the year I think at the end of
this but let's talk wanyama what have
you guys seen from him and what have you
guys seen from the Spurs of late that
has you really
excited I think for me I I'll try to
pull it into Niche toown for a little
bit for me I'm having a lot of fun with
the offall movement with wimy
offensively and the way that they are
moving him around the chest board the
way that they using Deon Vel the screen
for him Trey Jones the screen for him
and from there it's like what do you do
as a defense is you're not switching
your smallest players onto this seven4
demigod so now you're fighting over
you're trying to like knock him off his
spots and he is just too good too slid
the for you to be able to do that at
this point I think throughout the year
you know I think everyone's kind of
talked about what is the strength going
to look like in year one like obviously
there's room for him to get stronger but
I think as the year's gone on he has
done a better job of establishing
positioning um before he gets the catch
and once you pair that with these weird
screening angles the smaller screening
Partners it's put so much strain on your
defense and then from there like the
Handler has gotten tighter from him he's
been able to get to his spots he's been
able to Boogie and ISO like a possession
I think about and he's had a ton of wild
ons post All-Star break which his
numbers are absur we'll get into that
there was a play against Minnesota it
was a sideline Play Trey Jones inbounds
the ball de sets this down screen for
wimy he catches in the middle of the
paint against Kyle Anderson Rudy goar is
guarding Jeremy soan so he just sinks
down to doubles Julian champen and
Jeremy soan cut at the same time and I'm
just like what is happening here that's
not great uh but the ball Finds Its way
back to wimy and he catches it on the
right wing against Kyle Anderson and
this man goes full 2K ISO mode and flows
into this side step three that touches
nothing but
bottom and for me it's like I like the
the usage I like the initial idea it's
cool to there getting different people
green form him getting them the ball in
different areas but then you just get to
like the end of the day portions like
wimy can just shoot and knock down
anything you want him
to and if he's going to knock down 44%
of his pullup threes like he has been
post allar break I don't know what you
do with
him I'm glad you yeah so I don't mean to
interrup I just want to comment on that
because that's where I think we all
envisioned at some point and I think for
a lot of people it was like well at some
point in the future in year three in
year four and now it's like no we're
just post Allstar break Rookie of the
Year and we're at that point we're like
what do you do with
him well it's funny because Nas we
talked about the shot selection with
wimy and then you look up and he's
actually shooting 41% on pullup threes
for the whole year last 15 games is
45.7 and I think the the point you made
about the cutting is really fun one of
the best parts about what San Antonio
has done despite the noise about point
guard play Let's Open this up let's let
wimy play let's let them find out who
they are let's not put him in a box and
so you get these plays where he grabs a
rebound he's going into pick and roll
someone screening for him you have the
set design plays where he's in the
corner comes off a pin down now he's
playing out of it and I think the growth
has come from when he sees these cross
matches and he's getting deeper in the
paint he's getting these deeper seals
and going right to work I the one thing
I want to add to that is the pick and
role play has been really fun with San
Antonio going inverted action having
different people screen for him quickly
I think that's been great especially
when you not only add the pullup through
shooting but the passing to where you
want to go show and recover as a defense
one dribble wraparound pass or one
dribble I'm very tall I could still see
this pass so the passing has popped and
I think overall you put that together
the the movement his footwork and you
watch like we can talk about the
screening at some point
he's working to try and get okay let me
get it to you screen oh they went under
let's get another rescreen let me get
back into position let's keep things
moving I think that's been really great
like I I always feel bad for guys like
Indiana you know Jaylen Smith's just in
help position Here Comes wimy one plant
cut lob because I'm very tall so it's
it's been fun there's been some good
defense stuff I know I know sure JJ has
some stuff I am going to push back
though because we did ask hey what's the
path for wimy at that point in time and
every game setting a historic thing that
we've never seen before sure seems like
the way to do it I'll throw that out
there and we talked about the efficiency
and and look I I'll I'll I'll touch on
that right now I'll touch on that right
now
because at the end of last season when
Jaylen Williams had his run post
All-Star break I brought up the fact
that he deserves some consideration I
didn't say Paulo does not deserve to be
rookie of the year I just said Jaylen
Williams deserves some consideration and
at the time you know magic fans killed
me which is fine like we're all going to
stand for our people like I get it um
but I did say like the roles are
different ultimately I voted for benero
like it was not even a question for me
the roles are different and I think in
this case between Chad and wemi the
roles are very different right you're
talking about a guy in wembanyama who
has the highest usage rate by any rookie
in the last 45 years in fact he's number
six in the entire NBA this season and
those guys ahead of him are Joel embiid
Luca donic Shay gildas Alexander jannis
and tenmo and Anthony Edwards like
that's what he's being asked to do
that's what he's being asked to do he is
a high usage player as a rookie one of
the highest usage players in the NBA
this season so you have to account for
role you have to account for what's
being asked and you certainly have to
account for the talent around him I
think we can all agree Chad has more
Talent around him by the way Oklahoma
City fans I'm not talking anyone out of
chat hrin you know still being in the
Rookie of the Year race I'm just framing
wembanyama so chill out see some of you
getting
uncomfortable uh couple things on what
Steve said the wraparound passes are so
fun they're so fun I love that I love
the inverted pick and rolls uh hopefully
we'll have more on inverted pick and
rolls later this week um because I'm I
love it and the the most important thing
you said was the growth with the cross
mattress
because what I have seen early in the
year was him just playing right and to a
degree pop just letting him play and
what I've seen lately is more thought to
how I'm playing and where I can exploit
mismatches and where I can exploit my
size and where can I exploit my my
unique skill set the thinking part of it
is the growth to me and we're going to
touch more on that later I do want to
get into some of these stats okay uh so
he's number one in the league in blocks
per game number one in total blocks
number 12 in steals I said this at the
beginning of the year you know at some
point he's just going to be his own
defense right he's just going to be his
own defense uh he had 3112 6 six assists
six blocks in the win versus Pacers he's
the first rookie with 25 points five
assists five blocks in consecutive games
since blocks became official in 1973
1974 he's only the fourth player ever to
do that in consecutive games in his last
eight he's averaging 252 and five
assists and 5.4 blocks on 5142 shooting
splits he's the third player ever to
average that in an eight-game span he
shot 45% on threes is last 12 he's the
first player ever in NBA history history
with 50 blocks and 25 made
three-pointers over a 12 game
span here's what's crazy this this is
from Matthew Williams shout out to
Matthew Williams uh our stats Guru over
at ESPN he has the most points per
minute for a rookie since Michael Jordan
in 1984
85 and here's the the sort of the icing
on the cake for me he's the only player
think about this stat this Frame this
stat Jason Gallagher he's the only
player in NBA history with 175 assists
175 blocks and 75 made threes in a
season it's March 4th he's the only NBA
player in history to do
this what the
[Β __Β ] I
don't I don't what you do that like I
think about when we had our earlier
conversation Steve I kind of talked
about Rookie of the Year as well um on
the dunker spot where you know early on
spefically when we had our conversation
on the old man three things like I think
we all had ched ahead because of his
role within what OKC was doing go both
into the floor the efficiency Gap there
was also if you cared about that portion
early on in the season there was a game
minutes gap between the two as well and
now that wmy is no longer on the minutes
restriction he's playing more
consistently and he's also doing all of
this like it's easy to say Yep this is
what it was back in December this is
what it is right
now it's it's fine to do so like the
windie stats you just dropped also are
just insane like I had some second
Spectrum stuff about what he's doing
coming off screens um some of the pick
and roll defense stuff that's gotten
like that's probably the scariest part
they as I want to hear them I want to
hear them let's let's use these this is
fun this is fun stats are fun I'm this
is the ner this is this is my favorite
part of the show this is why I do this
show on Mondays I want to nerd out Nas
let's go give me the stats okay we we'll
go very quickly um with Wy coming off of
screens post All-Star break 1.52 points
per possession on those trips when wi's
coming off of the screen that's second
to Scotty bar off ball screens yeah so
that is uh second to Scotty Barnes among
113 players to receive at least 25 of
those um as we talk about the usage with
wimy as a screen or a handoff partner
the partnership between him and Deon s
has been really good 1.2 points per
position on those uh post Allstar break
quick salute to Jackson Frank who just
wrote an article about the Spurs and how
they're using wiy there that spark the
search for me um among 29 players to
defend at least 100 pick and rolls post
All-Star break 0.78 points per
possession allowed on those trips that
is second to Brook Lopez that seems
pretty darn good I would say um and then
just in terms of traditional pick and
roll Duos um 82 with at least 30 UPS
since the All-Star break the Trey Jones
Victor theama pick and roll at 1.38
points per possession is fourth in the
league that is behind Giannis and Brooke
Luca dones and PJ Washington and Derek
white Christoff porzingis continue to
Blitz the League with their partnership
so like that's some of the stuff and
then on the year uh the Spurs with a
113.9 defensive rating uh went beyond
the court her cleaning the glass that
would be the equivalent of eighth with
him off the floor not only is it the
worst defense in the league it is the
worst defense in the league by nearly
three points per 100 possessions when he
is on the bench and so as he is figuring
out some of the minor things with
footworks like lowkey he's towards the
bottom in terms of drop coverage this
year which is
funny he's still blocking a bunch of
shots altering a whole bunch of others
teams take way fewer shots at the rim
with him on the court he's having this
impact now and there are objective
things to point to that he can clean up
the footwork here he can clean up some
of the depth in his drop here and he's
dis impactful already like he's top 10
in defensive EPM this
year it's ridiculous what he's doing can
I can I nerd out non-stat division real
quick yes I I think my favorite part is
watching what teams try to do to move
him around the court um you know cuz
Pacers run stack pick and roll wimy just
like absolutely not I'm just going to
move around this because I'm very tall
in transition Pascal cakam just has a
rhythm Corner three wm's on the Block
wimy just slowly lurks towards them and
you just see shot fake nope I'm just
going to pass this started the second
half and they were like fine wimy we'll
put you on the strong side corner we'll
put you over here on the right corner
this will surely help this with us a
Halton go screen Nim hard turns the
corner goes left hey guess who's there
VI Wim
banama just whatever man I I'll just
come block this and my favorite bit is
like more guys you know we've seen the
highlights of people getting some on him
being physical with him hitting him my
favorite thing now is when someone tries
to hit him you just see a limb go in the
air as he continues to trap the ball
with his foot he's just like hey I'm
still here like you hit me and I took it
but like you have to now shoot over my
hand and the odds are in my favor that's
my favorite thing he does very quickly
because jjz you mentioned a little bit
earlier and Stevie brought up as well
just what he's doing against what he's
doing positioning wise when he sees
these cross matches quickly wanted to
look this up um on post-ups against non
centers post Allstar break 1.24 points
per possession on those post UPS from
vctor wanyama which is one of the best
marks in the
league it's higher than yage yeah and
yeah I was going to say historically I
I've looked this that up for something
El I was working on I don't know maybe
10 days ago a 1.24 postup effic you know
points per direct postup efficiency rate
would be number one in the league in in
most years of the tracking era number
one and porzingis I think would probably
you know his is the highest all time but
I want to say 1.24 maybe the second
highest I mean I think I had a couple at
1.23 right so like that's those are
insane numbers again post All-Star break
against cross matches so it's not
overall but still that's what we were
talking about in terms of figuring out
how to exploit those cross matches you
guys touched on a couple things that I
just I have a very broad question here
because when I had a couple Spurs games
early on and so we would ask Pop and our
coaches meetings about uh Vic and and
one of the themes that happened uh over
and over he would talk about
fundamentals right and again uh in my
discussion for this week's old man in
the three I have a former player on a
former former Allstar and we talked
about the difference between skill set
and fundamentals right there's there's
the skill set conversation which is all
the things that he can do on a
basketball court and then the
fundamentals which every young player
now coming into the league has to learn
because it's not necessarily being
taught as particularly in America it's
not being taught right
and to me the footwork piece has gotten
a lot better
the balance was something that pop
talked a ton about the balance on his
shot is getting a lot better you guys
brought up the shot selection that's
getting better I thought early in the
year there were some like what the are
you doing type [Β __Β ] you know what I mean
and and so the overall question is just
related to
fundamentals are you guys seeing his
fundamentals you brought up drop
coverage footwork right are you seeing
at least the fundamentals trending in
the right direction have they gotten
better throughout this season I I would
say yes and I point to the drive numbers
aren't much higher but when he faces up
he's a lot more comfortable setting up
the jab and going and it's a lot more
fluid than it used to be even if he
absorbs contact um when he sets and come
off screens you can feel that movement
and he's setting you up with the plant
and so I think those little things are
helping him shine through in a different
level I I think defensively you feel it
more too because you can see him work
feeling better in space not just being
like I'm tall I'm blocking off this part
of the Court where no I'm going to show
I'm going to help I'm recover I'm going
to close back out I'm going to keep the
ball back in front so I think having
that better movement is also allowed
more confidence especially with physical
contact so I think it kind of goes hand
inand for me what you saying to um yeah
I think for me like it's gotten better
like I just look at what he's doing once
like the double team comes like I think
he's doing a better job of diagnosing
that without getting too loose with the
ball and even as he's dealing with
contact on the Block if he goes with an
up fake he doesn't like it like the
pivot seem cleaner he's not losing his
footing he's not losing his balance as
much as he was earlier in the year which
you know to that point he would lose his
balance and still have his arm like half
a foot above whoever's contesting his
shot and he can still get those shots to
go in but it does feel like that's
gotten better and I feel like that's a
part of why you see him get to the free
throw line a little bit more I think
there is just an efficiency of movement
and just overall decisiveness when he
has the ball inside the arc that I'm
really starting to enjoy to the
screening portion like post Allstar
break look this up really quickly
connecting go nearly 60% of his own ball
screens this year um I will just be kind
and say that that number is higher than
what it was earlier in the year um I
have some like rookie report stuff in my
notes from that on that portion he's
getting better at actually making
contact and Steve nailed it earlier
about his willingness to rescreen and
how he's setting it up without getting
like the moving screens and stuff like
that so for me it's very much trending
upward and that is a fun terrifying
thought for the rest of the league it's
just fun it's just fun I I I basketball
is fun
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