Last season, in just 46 games with the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama emerged as one of the very best players in the NBA regardless of age, experience, or position.
Averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 3.8 blocks per game, he is as well-rounded on both ends of the floor as anyone in the league, and he took 8.8 3-pointers a game, making a league-average 35.2 percent of them.
Wembanyama is listed as 7-3, although he is likely closer to 7-5, so it made sense that some vocal fans were frustrated about him shooting more 3s per game than James Harden or Trae Young. Those fans should get used to the idea of Wembanyama being a sniper from deep, however, as the addition of Dylan Harper will only pull him further out from the paint.
In his lone season at Rutgers University, Harper shot 33.3 percent from deep, which, for a guard, is not great. His 38.3 percent mark from deep on catch-and-shoot attempts is his saving grace, although he will likely create for himself plenty off the dribble.
He shot around 30 percent from deep on off-the-dribble 3s, so if he's pulling up like Stephen Curry, expect the rim to take some abuse. However, he was elite at getting to the rim and making shots in the paint, shooting a blistering 67 percent at the rim.
That's only one percent worse than Wemby was in the same zone last season.
With Harper willing and able to get downhill, it stands to reason that Wemby will be outside the paint, spacing the floor for the athletic guard. Harper is an excellent passer, so if he can't get a shot off or is met at the rim by one of the NBA's best, expect him to kick the ball out to Wembanyama with ease.
Wemby only took 36 corner 3s last season and made only a third of them, so he will likely be on the wing more than in the corner. Either way, his volume could go up from last season, and his loudest critics won't enjoy that.
However, with the Spurs expected to be in the playoff hunt next season, wins matter a lot more than Wemby's shot chart, and with the playoffs in grasp, maybe an increased perimeter usage will be an easier pill to swallow.
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