If Victor Wembanyama 's performance during the San Antonio Spurs ' first preseason game was any indication of the future, then the rest of the NBA is in a world of trouble. Limited to only 46 games during his sophomore campaign due to a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, Wembanyama returned with a vengeance and displayed a different facet of his ever-evolving game in the Spurs' 119-88 win over the Guangzhou Loong-Lions.
With the Spurs' primary playmakers on the sidelines, Wembanyama took on the role of ballhandler and chief facilitator and finished with seven assists to go with his nine points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
The performance impressed many, including ESPN's Brian Windhorst , who said that many of Wemby's coaches have cautioned him from playing on the perimeter too much. However, as he deftly showed recently, he absolutely has no reason to stop.
Wembanyama is a transcendent talent who may just introduce a brand-new position to the sport: point center. With the Spurs missing De'Aaron Fox, reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and rookie Dylan Harper , he was more than up to the challenge of bringing the ball and setting his teammates up.
"He essentially played point center. You saw in some of those highlights, he looked kind of like Draymond Green, getting the ball at the center of the court and distributing it," Windhorst stated on "NBA Today."
The NBA has seen numerous big men function as the fulcrums of their team's offense, but never has there been a 7'3" ballhandler in the league's long and decorated history. While the sight of Wembanyama leading the break surprised many, it didn't startle Windhorst, who relayed that the Frenchman has been doing it all his life, much to the consternation of his coaches.
"He can do a lot of different things, but creating with the ball far from the hoop is something that is on the list," the veteran journalist said. "I don't know how much you want to do it, but I'm just going to tell you — coaches have been trying to talk Victor out of playing on the perimeter since he was 11 or 12 years old. He has never listened to them. He's not going to listen now."
Another well-respected pundit, Bobby Marks, noted that watching Wembanyama play point guard reminded him of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who, during Jason Kidd's tenure as head coach, took over the point guard role in his third NBA season.
"I looked at it almost like a young Giannis last night as far as him initiating the offense, bringing the ball up the court," Marks noted. "Of course, the six turnovers is a little bit of a concern — north of three the last two years as far as turnovers."
It remains to be seen how head coach Mitch Johnson will utilize Wembanyama this season as they try to end a six-year postseason drought. Will he be tasked with running pick-and-rolls on the perimeter, or will he set up shop in the low block and dominate smaller defenders from there? Whatever the answer is, what's certain is the Spurs will only go as far as Wembanyma's development takes them.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
