It didn't take long for San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama to show the NBA what he's learned over the summer. He dropped 40 points and 15 rebounds on the Dallas Mavericks in their season opener, showing the league just what he is now capable of.
He spent part of the summer working on his game with Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. The results have been evident with him showing new post moves and being more assertive when he gets the ball down low.
While most of his moves have been to create separation between him and his defender, one of his moves that he unveiled during a preseason game against the Indiana Pacers caught the eye of a Spurs writer Tom Petrini.
Wemby made 6 different moves on this play and didn’t really create any space
Instead, he took the space away https://t.co/Hd4rykUkK5 pic.twitter.com/CD2X2E2RIA
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) October 20, 2025
He astutely pointed out that Wembanyama isn't always trying to create space and is instead sometimes trying to take away the space of the defender.
Victor Wembanyama has several new tricks in his offensive bag
Essentially, he is drawing his defender in closer to him to create contact and get a favorable advantage over them. It's sort of like when ballhandlers dribble around a screen, slow down so their defender can catch up to the back of them, and then make their move. Think Chris Paul.
The idea is that it can lead to easier shots or draw more fouls. Thus far, it has seemingly worked like a charm for Wembanyama, with him drawing 11 free throws against the Mavericks.
If he can get more high-percentage shots in the paint and dramatically increase his free-throw rate, with him previously shooting just 4.1 free throws per game last season, then he could truly make a massive offensive leap this season.
The Spurs may be far better than expected thanks to Wembanyama
The results of Wembanyama's offensive development could be huge. I've previously mentioned that he had the potential to average 30 points per game in the NBA.
He may not be able to reach that lofty goal this season, but he could absolutely up his scoring average from 24.3 points per game last season to around 27 points. That alone could dramatically raise the Spurs' ceiling, transforming them from a mediocre offense to an elite one.
Wembanyama operating more in the post also means more double-teams, and he is both a skilled and willing passer, likely leading to plenty of scoring opportunities for teammates. The Spurs haven't even seen De'Aaron Fox this season, and he could also help to supercharge their offense without taking away from Wembanyama's production.
A dramatically improved offense to go along with what could be a top-10 defense means the Spurs could be a top-5 team in the West and a legit playoff team thanks to Wembanyama's new skills.