A somewhat unreasonable prediction for Wembanyama’s second season

“What’s next?” is the question on the minds of basketball purists, fans and analysts, all mesmerized by the spectacle of Victor Wembanyama. His first year was a mixture of amazement and disappointment, but the disappointments had little to do with him. Spurs simply weren’t good enough to keep enough games close, allowing Wemby to shine in crucial moments.

This is the pinnacle of NBA basketball. You can create the most amazing highlight mixtape ever, but if you never play in important games or perform there when they come, you won’t earn the respect of other legends. That starts with production – something he had little trouble with last season. But this season you can expect it to skyrocket.

At Spurs media day this year he told everyone that Spurs were “expecting a win”. That means more than anything. San Antonio was near the bottom of the rankings in most key statistical categories. They ran one of the league’s fastest-paced offenses, and that didn’t equate to a high-scoring offense. As the best player, he has to do more because he is capable of more.

Last season, Wemby allowed some easy plays, players missed opportunities to feed him for quick balls, and he missed way more free throws than you’d like to see. His apparent determination suggests that he deals with the things he can control. He mentioned that working on his fundamentals and finishing around the rim were among the areas of focus in the offseason.

But Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes are the other keys that will unlock his true scoring potential. With the ball in CP3’s hands, he will make the correct read nine times out of ten. They don’t call him the point god for nothing. Not only will he make the right pass, but he will also put the ball in the perfect spot for an easy shot to the basket.

As a veteran with a lot of experience playing with elite players that he needed to pass the ball, Barnes will also make the right decisions and understand the need to use Wembanyama. In April of last season, the rookie of the year averaged 25 points. He continued to make progress, regardless of the team’s shortcomings. As they improved and he became more comfortable, he began to dominate.

The Spurs will get that from him from the start, and his added weight will force teams to be even more physical with him and send him to the free throw line for more attempts per game. The combination of these factors will result in the first average of 30 points per game in the second season by an NBA player since Michael Jordan.