It Appears That Shaq Has Found A New Target By Declaring Victor Wembanyama Can't Be Dominant Because He Shoots Jumpers

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There's a saying that if you have haters, you must be doing something right. When it comes to Victor Wembanyama, I wasn't even aware that he had haters. He seems like a humble kid who has fully embraced being a Spur and that small market, he plays like he really cares which given his talent isn't always a given, and on the floor he came into the NBA and immediately validated every ounce of hype he had entering the season

By pretty much all accounts, Wemby is well on his way to a historic career. Every night we see him do something that shouldn't be possible yet for him is rather routine, and unless you're a Rockets fan and have a pre-existing hatred for the Spurs, there's nothing to really hate on Wemby for in my opinion.

That is of course, unless you're Shaq

When I first saw that tweet on my timeline I figured this was just your classic example of Shaq hating on the latest generational big man. He really can't help himself whether it's Dwight Howard, Rudy Gobert, and now in this case, Wemby. It did seem a little odd so I looked for the context around that quote, and because I believe in fairness, let's have a listen

Oh brother. We probably should have known this was coming from Shaq given he's the same guy that was 10 toes down with a take like this

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and to me, this felt partly like insecurity on Shaq's side that another player in Year 2 is already being thrown in these type of discussions, but it also was not completely off base. Shaq suggesting that Wemby can't be dominant because he shoots jumpers is insane, given that his three level scoring ability is what makes him such a matchup nightmare. Just because the game was played differently in Shaq's era does not make it "more dominant". If Shaq came up in 2024, he'd be a stretch center. That's just a fact. 

But I do agree with Shaq that for Wemby to reach his true potential, he can't settle. He does have to remember that he is 7'5 and dominate the paint/at the rim, which I felt like he did a decent amount as a rookie. Remember, last season was his first taste of NBA basketball and will be the worst Wemby ever is as a player. Last year Wemby averaged around 3.3 post up's a game, which was 7th in the entire league. His post up frequency% of 14.7% was 16th. Now for some players, posting up is all they do so obviously their numbers are going to be higher there. For Wemby to be top 8 in post ups in Year 1 is a good start, but there's certainly room to grow (finished in the 27th percentile). 

The thing is, Wemby played with dogshit point guards last season (no offense). Now he gets to play and learn under CP3, who I imagine knows a thing or two about initiating offense and getting Wemby into the best spots possible for him to dominate. He'll help make the game even easier for a guy that already looks like he has no problem getting whatever he wants on the floor, and again, this is only Year 2. Wemby is 20 years old! Just think of what he looks like at age say, 23 or 24? He'll, still be years away from his NBA prime but will be a completely different player than we see today. In my opinion, that is why Wemby is thrown into these type of GOAT discussions. He has to come through, but the foundation is clearly there.

Plus, now that he can check off the box of being hated on by Shaq, that should tell you everything you need to know. Shaq really only throws shade at new era centers if they're doing something right, so if I were Wemby I would wear it as a badge of honor.