Why Spurs are confident Wembanyama's best defensive days are still to come

Spurs rookie Tarris Reed Jr. first encounter with Victor Wembanyama on the practice court was less an introduction than an outright rejection.

“He blocked me like a million times,” Reed said.

In that regard, Reed was no different from anyone else who has tried and failed to solve the Wembanyama conundrum. The 7-foot-4 All-Star has a way of making even the simplest act in basketball – merely getting a shot off – feel like a feat of advanced physics.

Wembanyama’s 9-foot-7 standing reach is only the first problem he poses.

“Plus he’s jumping,” said Reed, a 6-10 behemoth in his own right. “You end up shooting like a moon ball, hoping and praying it goes in.”

Reed can take solace in one thing.

In the three years since Wembanyama arrived stateside to make life miserable for professional shooters, the towering Frenchman has confounded everyone from wide-eyed rookies to battle-seasoned veterans.

For the Spurs and Wembanyama, only one goal remains: the NBA championship

Already, at the still-developing age of 22, Wembanyama can lay claim to the unofficial title of “Best Defensive Player on the Planet.”

The scary part? He is not satisfied with that distinction.

“Now the standard isn’t being the best on the planet anymore,” Wembanyama said. “It’s being better than last year.”

To the uninitiated, that task would seem to be taller than Wembanyama himself.

He is coming off arguably the greatest defensive season in NBA history, having claimed his first Defensive Player of the Year award by unanimous vote – a first in league annals.

Wembanyama averaged 3.1 blocks per game, joining Dikembe Mutombo and Marcus Camby as the only players in NBA history to lead the league in that category in three consecutive seasons.

He was the first to do it in each of his first three NBA campaigns.

And yet, in Wembanyama’s eyes – and those of his teammates – those accomplishments amount to little more than a prelude. The Spurs believe the most imposing version of their defensive cornerstone has yet to arrive.

“No matter how talented you are when you’re young,” said Luke Kornet, Wembanyama’s 31-year-old backup, “you’ve got to think about how much better you’re going to be with five more years of experience and understanding.”

How can the best defensive player on the planet get even better?

For Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, the answer lies in improvements that might not be easily observed on the stat sheet or from the cheap seats.

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It has little to do with what more Wembanyama can do with his arms, his legs or his 747-like wingspan.

It has everything to do with what Wembanyama can do with his brain – and his mouth.

“His communication,” Johnson said. “His ability to connect dots and teammates and the things he sees with other people on the court. A lot of times, he’s back there where he’s going to see the entire picture of what’s happening. … How can he put out fires and anticipate things before they’re happening?”

Johnson envisions a souped-up Wembanyama capable of quarterbacking the entire Spurs defense from his post beneath the basket, directing traffic and snuffing out trouble before it starts.

For a blueprint, Johnson points to a handful of NBA stars who have mastered the art of seeing the game unfold a step or two ahead of everyone else – Draymond Green, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and, yes, former Spurs great Tim Duncan.

“Those guys can see plays coming from a mile away,” Johnson said.

For Wembanyama, developing that kind of foresight could become especially valuable.

Opponents already have plenty of incentive to lure him away from the basket, where his extraordinary reach makes him the ultimate deterrent.

“When he’s guarding one-on-one, there’s a bunch of different spots where teams are going to try and draw him out, make sure he can’t be the low man (under the basket),” forward Devin Vassell said. “When he’s down there, he discourages everything. So him just anticipating certain actions and seeing different things is important.”

That level of anticipation doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from repetition, experience and learning to recognize an opponent’s next move before it happens.

Wembanyama has spent three NBA seasons building that library of knowledge. Season No. 4 only figures to add more chapters to it.

“The better you can communicate or identify stuff, you can get your whole team on the same page and it just uses your strengths best,” Kornet said.

Wembanyama, for his part, is eager to become a more commanding voice on the defensive end.

He understands, however, that knowing what to say and knowing when to say it are two different skills.

“It’s easy,” he said, putting air quotes around that second word, “but doing it repeatedly and precisely in the right moment and saying the right words — that is what’s hard.”

For most players, becoming the NBA’s best defender would qualify as a career destination. With Wembanyama, the Spurs see it only as a lofty starting point.

“Whether it’s our standard or his standard, there’s plenty of room for growth all around,” Johnson said.

The NBA has already seen what Wembanyama can do with his extraordinary gifts. To hear the Spurs tell it, the league has seen nothing yet.

“He will be better this season,” Vassell said, “and I’m excited to see it.”

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This article originally published at Why Spurs are confident Wembanyama’s best defensive days are still to come.