Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images Wemby’s teams have always won more when he hits threes, but that’s a high bar to be reliant on. The idea that early tendencies — or behavioral continuity — persist over time applies not just to people but also to basketball players. For example, watching footage of a young Tre Jones reveals a player whose style of play was evident even at age 15. This raises an intriguing question: could examining Victor Wembanyama’s earlier years also reveal patterns that inform his future trajectory? I have watched most games Victor has played since he was 16. The most interesting games in terms of early tendencies and basketball traits took place during the FIBA U19 World Cup. Victor was one year younger than all other players and yet produced unbelievable highlights. France eventually lost to Chet Holmgren’s USA team in the Final. To explore Victor’s success further, I analyzed Victor’s 2022-23 season with Metropolitans 92, focusing on the 45 games he played across the regular season (34), playoffs (10), and Leaders Cup (1). Excluded from this analysis were two exhibition games against G-League Ignite, the French All-Star Game, and four World Cup qualifiers. All told, Victor played 52 official games in his last season in France. It’s essential to highlight that he capped the year as both “Best Young Player” and MVP of the LNB League, leading the league in points, rebounds, and blocks — a monumental feat for a 19-year-old. His per-game stats from those 45 games were as follows: 32.3 minutes, 20.8 points, 46% FG, 55.4% 2PT, 27% 3PT, 78.6% FT, 10.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 3 blocks, 0.8 steals, 2.9 turnovers, +/- of +3.38. Pete Orthez Vic stats 23-23 LNB Breaking these numbers down by wins and losses revealed a key insight: Victor’s three-point efficiency was a decisive factor. In wins, he shot 35.4% from deep, but in losses, his accuracy plummeted to 13%. Despite this inefficiency in losses, he compensated with more offensive rebounds (+1.2 per game), chasing down his misses to keep possessions alive. Fast forward to this season, and the trend persists. In the 32 games he has played (16 wins, 16 losses), the main difference in Victor’s stats remains his 3-point efficiency: 42% in wins versus 29% in losses. Once again, his rebounding numbers rise in losses, driven largely by offensive boards. The Key Question: What Role Should Victor’s 3-Point Shooting Play? Does Victor’s long-range shooting directly impact the outcome of games? Would his teams win more if he took fewer threes? Or, conversely, is his ability to make threes the linchpin of success? Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine dive deep into the numbers to illustrate how much of a unicorn the French big man is becoming in the NBA: Defensively, there’s no debate about his dominance. Victor has already redefined court geometry with his ability to cover space both horizontally and vertically. He challenges even elite players like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo (even though they still can physically bully him with their size at times). He has a strong case for Defensive Player of the Year honors after finishing as the runner-up in his rookie season. Offensively, however, the discussion is more nuanced. Critics question whether he takes too many threes from the logo, early in the shot clock, or simply ill-timed. They also wonder why he hasn’t adopted more high-percentage shots, like Tim Duncan’s bank shots or Dirk Nowitzki’s fadeaways. Yet, if consistent three-point shooting above 36% is the key to more wins, the Spurs’ strategy should evolve around optimizing Victor’s shot selection and efficiency. This raises broader questions: What game plan can put Victor in his offensive comfort zone? What kind of roster does San Antonio need to execute such a strategy? Would surrounding him with more shooters stretch defenses and give him better looks? Should the Spurs add more bigs to prevent opponents from physically overpowering him? In the recent loss against Milwaukee, Giannis’s defense was outstanding, limiting the Frenchman to a total of 10 field goal attempts. But this begs the question: why was there no pick-and-roll with, say, CP3, which would have left Wemby against CP3’s man instead of Giannis? These questions aren’t easily answered, but it’s clear the Spurs are experimenting with current personnel to find players who complement Victor’s strengths. How quickly they discover the right formula will influence the pace of their rebuild and, ultimately, how soon they hang their next championship banner. A lot of talk is happening about which current star (via free agency or trade) would speed up the Spurs’ path to contention. But is this the right question? Do they need another star? Victor is so unique and unconventional that he might need a combination of different types of players rather than one “Robin” to help him achieve high shooting efficiency, especially if the trend of that being the ultimate impact towards winning games continues.