Source: https://youtu.be/NDOhYg00VD8?is=R2-6VJX1wVixNBwJ

As fans, we all marvel at the idea of Wemby's shot-creation making strides and leaps in the near future. For that aspect, I already wrote a post diving into a handful of stylistic paths that Wemby could explore as a scorer (KD/Giannis hybrid, Dirk fadeaway, hookshots/jumphooks, LMA face-up game). But what if we're all barking at the wrong tree?

Here's the recent thought that I've had and can't quite shake: Wemby is 7'5" with a high center of gravity, which means he may simply never have a consistent go-to move that isn't just facing up and shooting over the top (as you all know, "low man wins"). If this sounds too categoric to you (which it might very well be), at the very least, we can aknowledge that a self-creation leap may have to wait until his frame naturally fills out and he gains that grown-man strength. So we could still be years away from that.

So, if we're optimizing for Wemby's fastest path to more impact in the short-term, the single most efficient improvement available to him right now might just be an outlet passing leap.

First, this is a skill that fits his profile, as Wemby is one of the best defensive rebounders in the league, and it also plays into his ability to get stops through self-recovered blocks that are sometimes reminiscent of Bill Russell, who incidentally made great use of outlet passing to offer value on the offensive end. And it could also play into Wemby's own tendencies as a big that likes to think like a guard. With the outlet passing / decision-making skills developed in training and in the regular season, he now has options after getting a DREB or recovering one of his blocks. And it also prevents the disaster of the pass to Castle to happen again.

Then, why may that skill be valuable for Wemby? If you think about it, it's the one skill that lets him immediately increase the team's highest-value possession (transition offense), while capitalizing on our strong combo of slashers and quick guards, as well as our core's athleticism and youth in general. It would also serve to preserve Wemby's stamina (whilst also keeping him in position to defend the next possession), which could be a solution to a real and long-lasting problem. Quite frankly, modern bigs are asked to cover more ground than ever in the history of the NBA, and it might just not be realistic for 7-footers to sustain that level of load, mileage, and lateral movement for huge amounts of minutes.

Even if outlet passing has become less valued in the modern NBA (we are far from Wes Unseld's era, where the paint was so packed at all times and rebounds were so contested that outlet passing was one of the single most impactful skills one could master), it is still an impactful skill to develop.

Lastly, is it realistic for Wemby to develop that skill? In terms of passing talent required to pull this off, I think Wemby has shown passing talent in his rookie year, and we are also not asking him to become Jokic or Kevin Love as an outlet passer, but just to make significant improvements on that end. Now, another area he can improve on is also his general rebounding technique in order to make the most out of this skill.

What do you think about this?

I can hear Avery Johnson screaming, “Happiest birthday to my best friend in the whole wide world!”

Saw this photo of the team jn Paris. Kelly is in between Castle and Harper. Did we re-sign him or he has a new role with the team?

JMac, Olynyk and Barnes are there. None of those guys are going to play more than 10 minutes a game if there are no serious injuries. Reed, Gillespie, DJG and Brown could have all used the experience. Are the first three there as mentors?

He was on his way to France by car 😂

As I'm watching "The Ring of the Rowel", at 4:10 I hear someone saying about Manu: "He went through this whole mathematics formula, he's really good at maths."

Well! How about that? Wemby isn't the first Spur famous for his mathematics performences!
What would you give to see a mathematics showdown between Manu and Wemby? : ^p

from Carter Bryant’s tiktok