Victor Wembanyama had an excellent rookie season, with a performance that could be among the best in NBA history. That also puts a lot of pressure and expectations on the French player’s second year.
To be fair, what Victor Wembanyama is doing in his second year still doesn’t compare to Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who were MVPs at a very young age. However, there is one fact that points out that, since the 3-point line was implemented in 1979, no one has had a second season as good as Victor Wembanyama is doing, including names like LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Luka Doncic and Michael Jordan.
In this article, The Sporting News will point out Victor Wembanyama’s great marks in his second professional season in the NBA arena.
Victor Wembanyama is the most complete sophomore in NBA history
Victor Wembanyama is an outstanding attacking player.
Victor Wembanyama has been criticized for shooting too many 3-pointers in the 2024/25 season. Those criticisms are well-founded, as the Frenchman is shooting 59% from the rim, on par with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s peak seasons. Once Victor Wembanyama has the ball near the rim, he is very difficult to stop.
However, it must be fair to say that 3-point shooting is an extremely effective weapon of Victor Wembanyama. This player’s 3-point shooting efficiency is 35.1%, slightly lower than the league average, but what makes these shots so scary is Victor Wembanyama’s height of 2m24. Once this player shoots, no defender can touch to block the ball. Victor Wembanyama can also shoot from any position, even at a distance of 1.5m from the 3-point line.
Victor Wembanyama wasn’t the best sophomore scorer, but he was the most complete player in NBA history. According to Stathead, he was the first sophomore in history to average at least 20 points while still shooting 59 percent from the field and 35 percent from the line.
The legendary players of yesteryear were not so perfect, and most of them could not shoot 3-pointers.
| Player | Average score | Total efficiency % | 3 point efficiency | Actual rate % |
| Victor Wembanyama | 24.7 | 47.5% | 35.1% | 59.7% |
| Zion Williamson | 27.0 | 61.1% | 29.4% | 64.9% |
| Luka Doncic | 28.8 | 46.3% | 31.6% | 58.5% |
| LeBron James | 27.2 | 47.2% | 35.1% | 55.4% |
| Tim Duncan | 21.7 | 49.5% | 14.3% | 54.1% |
| Shaquille O’Neal | 29.3 | 59.9% | 0% | 60.5% |
| Larry Bird | 21.2 | 47.8% | 27.0% | 52.8% |
Victor Wembanyama is a reliable stopper in defense.
Not only does Victor Wembanyama show impressive offensive skills, but he is also a great defensive player. Many even say that Victor Wembanyama has the potential to become the best defensive player in the NBA.
In the NBA, many players spend years mastering defensive skills, memorizing the strengths, weaknesses, and habits of opponents, reading them, and improving their physical foundation to withstand collisions. However, Victor Wembanyama has been doing very well, even with only 2 years of experience in the NBA. With a height of 2m24 and an arm span of up to 2m42, Wembanyama not only has the advantage in terms of physique but also knows how to make it difficult for opponents.
Statistics show that Victor Wembanyama is averaging 4 blocks per game. In NBA history, only Mark Eaton is the other 2nd year player to reach this achievement (4.3 blocks/game).
With the above highlights, many opinions say that Victor Wembanyama is capable of winning the title of “Defensive Player of the Year” even though he has only played in the NBA for less than 2 seasons.
“Victor Wembanyama makes opponents feel scared. He’s tall, and he can block any shot. Anyone who goes to the basket has to look back to see where Wembanyama is,” teammate Julian Champagnie commented on Victor Wembanyama on The Athletic.
Victor Wembanyama is an all-round player in every statistical aspect.
Victor Wembanyama is not only a good scorer and defender, but he also has impressive passing ability even as a center. Historically, only Brad Daugherty (3.7 assists/game) has done better than Victor Wembanyama in his second year as a center.
Victor Wembanyama’s all-round ability is evident in his statistics. In NBA history, there have only been 23 times when a player has exceeded 5 points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals in a game, but 2 of those times belonged to Victor Wembanyama.
