While Jerry Jones shatters the dreams of Cowboys fans everywhere, Victor Wembanyama is shattering the mold of what is supposed to be possible in the modern NBA. We’ve seen this man block shots at a ridiculous rate for two seasons in a row, but have you really thought about why that’s more impressive right now than ever before?
We are in a pace-and-space era with emphasis on shooting the three-ball. The game isn’t played like it was when David Robinson or even Tim Duncan were first drafted by the San Antonio Spurs. Today’s style just isn’t conducive to a big man racking up blocks that way. Guards are quicker, smarter, and have more shot variations than ever, and centers or power forwards don’t develop their postgame like they did before.
Yet Wemby is inevitable. His defense is special, and just how special shouldn’t be overlooked, so let’s dig deeper into the numbers.
Victor Wembanyama’s generational defense gets that title for a reason
Vic averaged 3.83 blocks per game in his sophomore year. The last person to hit that number or reach higher was Alonzo Mourning in 1999 at 3.91. Let’s take it down a notch. Now, there have been players who averaged about three rejections, but it’s usually right around that number. If they do it, it’s usually only once, and it’s rare that anyone gets over 3.5 a game.
Hassan Whiteside did it once in the 2015-16 season with 3.68. The game was different even then. You had more guys hit three blocks a game in the early 2000s and before. It was more commonplace, as stylistically, basketball was played more in the paint than it is today. Reaching that number now is much harder.
Before the 1994-95 season, NBA teams averaged single-digit three-point attempts per game—9.9 in the prior year. That number then jumped to 15.3 and stayed in the teens for 18 years before hitting the 20s in the 2012-13 campaign. Meanwhile, the shot-blocking leaders went from putting up four-plus just about every year to hanging in the range of three a night.
When the average number of threes rose into the 20s, we started seeing the shot-blocking specialists’ output lower even further. Anthony David rejected the most shots in 2014 and 2015 with 2.88 and 2.94. After Whiteside’s outlier season of 3.68, we saw 2.64, 2.57, 2.69, and 2.93 for the top numbers in consecutive years.
Myles Turner had an awesome defensive year in 2020-21 with 3.38 before Jaren Jackson Jr. came through with 2.27 the following year and 3.00 the next. Then along comes Wemby, posting 3.58 and 3.83, and because he’s not your average defender. He’s willing to challenge all comers at the rim, and he blocks three-point shots at one of the highest clips in the league, too.
Nobody else has the capacity to do what he does. It’s the foundation that will take the Spurs to the next level. He walked into the league as one of the greatest defenders we’ve ever seen, and he’s only getting better. Wait until his offense reaches its peak. It’s going to be terrifying. I can’t wait.