Grades: Spurs @ Heat - Oct. 12, 2023

[timvp]

https://www.spurstalk.com/grades-spu...t-preseason-2/

WTF

We Spurs fans are a lucky bunch, tbh.

[T Park]

really hope the mins wise go up and Sochan at point gets even more minutes.

People ready to shut down Sochan at point are way too eager. the starting 5, the bench, the whole rotations fit way better with Sochan at point, Keldon in there with Devin and Collins.

Tre being the backup, feasting on benches, being a steadying force when the other team makes a run. I really really like Osman and can see why RC has wanted him for a long long time. Hes the absolute perfect bench rotation wing, and him mixed with mcDermott will work great.

Defense when Wemby is on the bench is an issue obviously, but we'll see when everyone is playing and how they play together before its known if a rotation adjustment can fix it, or, its time to shop for a guy.

Cissoko if he just had a capable 3 point jump shot, could at least be a young Bruce Bowen. Get the jumper fixed, and hes a rotation guy immediately.

[heyheymymy]

Wemby is 15-18 on 2fg in two preseason games

Including 11-11 in the paint espn claims!

[onechance87]

We gotta figure who runs the offence better,Sochan or tre...Personally think tre runs the offence better...But who ever shoot the 3 better will fit and help wemby
offence going helping spread the floor....There both average at playmaking

[polandprzem]

Highlights made me smirk tbh. The season will start so I can watch some games. Wemby looks fun but those rebounds for such a big guy? hmmm

I like when LJ gives Wemby A's no matter if he has 5pt game or 25 pt game Legit

[Fireball]

When other people would watch me watch Wemby play they must think I am watching comedy. I could not stop laughing because of the ridicolous things Wemby does on the court. His 2 point shots really already look as smooth as KD's. And he is dunking the ball when he can! Love it.

Sochan did not show anything offensively which pointed in the direction of improvement, but first real game after a long tíme ... so no sweat.

[Obstructed_View]

Good home opener. They hung with Miami's second and third team. Hope they keep improving from here. Vic looks as good as advertised. Can't wait to see Sochan once he's gotten his game legs back.

[Arcadian]

When other people would watch me watch Wemby play they must think I am watching comedy. I could not stop laughing because of the ridicolous things Wemby does on the court. His 2 point shots really already look as smooth as KD's. And he is dunking the ball when he can! Love it.

Sochan did not show anything offensively which pointed in the direction of improvement, but first real game after a long tíme ... so no sweat.

It is indeed comical watching Victor play. At one point he caught an inbounds pass and got trapped by a defender. In this situation, most big men would pick up the ball and throw it away. Instead, Victor spun around his defender and dribbled by him. This would be a routine play for any point guard, but watching a 7'4 guy do it is funny. Despite his size, not everything he does actually depends on his size. In situations like that, his size could actually work against him - yet he still has the skill to pull it off.

[Obstructed_View]

He's so ing quick for being so tall. You expect a guy that size to be plodding. He's so fluid.

[polandprzem]

He got better agility wise. Bt I would like to see him that be active for 30+minutes all game.

[Bruno]

Wembanyama has clearly improved while practicing in SA during the couple of months between SL and preseason.
Body wise, the 10-15lbs added is making quite a big difference. He is still a thin player but he is stronger and more explosive than before. His game is also cleaner, more mature and assertive.

I'm skeptical about the Sochan at PG experiment in the long term. Spurs priority is to develop their most promising young players, like Sochan, by playing them at their best spot. Is Sochan future really to be a PG or is it to be a forward?
I know the whole "positionless new NBA" talk but there are only one Ben Simmons in the NBA and there are reasons behind it.

[Dejounte]

I’m glad Graham is currently on the deep bench and I hope he stays there. I was worried he would be one of the main backups

[Dejounte]

Sochan was clearly hesitating a lot last night and not his usual assertive self. It was evident when most of his jump shots were short. He will be more aggressive next game and he does add another layer to the team as a PG. Wemby has clear chemistry with him. Sochan excelled when he was posting up with the ball and looking to decide to shoot or pass. As a full court PG, there’s a lot of room for improvement but as a half court one, you could see why they want him there as the PG.

[RC_Drunkford]

nice game. Sochan was rusty, which had to be expected in his first game. The rebounding worries me, especially cause we played a line up with a lot of size. They will have to fix that and maybe Bassey might be the better fit next to Wemby to do the dirty work. Of course we'd need a lot more tape to know if it's Zach or Bassey. Also the perimeter defense doesn't look to good. Devin and Wemby are already finding ways to play off each other, I'm curious to see how it looks once Keldon's playing next to them.

[Dejounte]

When asked about how Wemby did at the 5: Pop answered, “he did fine, he’s going to play both positions (4 and 5)….”

[Dejounte]

When asked about Sochan at PG, Vassell says, “we have to get used to it and adapt to it. He has to get used to that role and get us into our sets. I think he did a good job in that role and we have to help him when he’s being pressured…”

[CGD]

There were times Wemby looks like Durant out there on offense. It was wild to see. And then on top of that add the defensive tools, wow. Kinda think the spurs should accelerate their rebuild to be honest

[Dejounte]

when asked about Sochan at PG— Wemby says, “it’s more trouble for the opponents. Hes comfortable with this position. Everybody trusts him. Hes got a good future at that position for sure.”

[Chinook]

I'll be pretty annoyed if the Spurs had Sochan focus on playing PG rather than shoring up his off-ball game. I firmly believe the Spurs PGotF isn't on the team right now, and I think the Spurs should be preparing their team to take advantage of that rather than trying to make everyone a play-maker. That can come in time, but being able to score reliably against real NBA defenses is a bigger concern. One of the main consequences of playing Sochan at PG is that whoever that fifth starter is will have to be able to win against the opposing PG. Teams are going to guard Jeremy with a forward, and Sochan isn't Ben Simmons -- he doesn't have guard agility and burst. A team will be able to get away with putting their SF on him, their PF and C on Collins and Wemby and their guards on Vassell and (I assume) Johnson. Finding that balance between attacking the opposing PG and not falling in the trap of doing that at to the exclusion of the stars is not easy. But the Spurs wouldn't get the full benefit of playing a 6-8 guy at the one unless they force the other team to seed an advantage there. Even if the Sochan plays well enough to be the "PG", it would still make sense to play him with two guards and two front-court players.

I do like how Sochan eventually started using his size and tenacity to hit the boards for putbacks. He had a fine all-around game outside of his shooting. I'm not worried about his ability to play with Wemby and the right big. I just think Jeremy will be the SF with some play-making rather than a PG with size.

Wemby did seem to put more effort in for the boards. There were a couple of times that he ran out of the play trying to leak out, but he stopped doing it pretty early on. I think he should've been credited with more rebounds than he got. Some of the taps he did to his teammates would've been counted on his total by other stat teams. Him staying near the rim also helped put him in position to contest shots, and he altered more possessions than his block total suggests. He still reaches way more than a guy his size should. Not only does that negate his height, but it's also a ton of horizontal space that can be used to draw fouls for the other team. He's also still trying to learn how far back his size allows him to stand away from his man. A few players made shots over him, and the elite shooters will be able to do that once they know he's not close enough to actually block them. I can't fault him for trying to remain closer to the paint ot help out there. As I said after last game, that's where he's more useful. But I think eventually he'll be able to do both, especially after he figures out what kinds of things he does or does not need to help on.

Offensively, I think it's clear he doesn't need to cherry pick to get his points. He could space in normal transition and just as easily in half-court sets. I think he's a little shoot-happy when he catches the ball beyond the arc. But if he can hit those shots at a decent rate, it'll help him fit in with all kinds of stars. Contrary conventional assumption, Wemby's height limits his effectiveness in low-post situations. It's going to be way too easy to root him out of his spots. The good news is that Wemby can apparently dunk the ball from almost the mid-post. He should have no issues catch the ball eight to 10 feet from the basket, turning around and immediately finishing. He's going to have to be quick on that timer, though, because NBA teams defend post-ups with digs and doubles at a rate I don't think they do in Europe. He got his pocket picked at least once last night, though he avoided trouble with some good passes and a spin-jumper on other occasions as well. It's going to be interesting to see what well-coached teams with talented defensive bigs can do to slow him down. While this is the NBA, Wemby hasn't faced a real defensive challenge yet.

Vassell made a number of shots that at least used to be thought of as bad or low percentage. I like that he's looking to convert good looks into points, and it's not his fault that some of the passes he's been getting haven't been perfect. But he probably needs to tone down his aggression or at least vary his method of attack if he wants to be a more consistent threat. I do think he worked on what he needed to, which was to focus on being a better shooter from three. If he's going to be a second or third star, he needs to do more than spotting up, but his contract is open enough to where Devin doesn't have to go that far to be useful.

[ginobilized]

Wemby is such a mind-blowing player.

He has elements of Kareem, KD, Dirk, even the Iceman. Yet, he is so completely himself.
There is still a long way to go, but, I've never seen a 19yr old, nor an 7footer (let alone a 7'4" player!!!) with his skill, poise, smoothness and character.

My gut tells me an elite center who is a defender/enforcer/rebounder would put everyone in their natural spots. Collins would be a great backup. Wemby roaming the perimeter and rotating on help defense with a rim protector would be pretty special.

[Chinook]

My gut tells me an elite center who is a defender/enforcer/rebounder would put everyone in their natural spots. Collins would be a great backup. Wemby roaming the perimeter and rotating on help defense with a rim protector would be pretty special.

Honestly I think an elite rebounding center who can guard hold up against big-man position but also hit the three might make more sense than worrying too much about defensive chops or at ude. I'm not a huge believer in Bassey, but I do agree with folks who think he played in a way that complimented Wemby better than how Collins played in the first game. I think ultimately Wemby will be able to play with anyone, from Brook Lopez to DeJuan Blair, to KAT to Poeltl and so on. But it feels like the team needs energy on that end the most right now.

[John B]

It’s great to see Wemby enjoying the game A LOT. He looks like a kid out there at Christmas, even running at full speed to play defense. Good times

[rankingtear]

There is one or several mismatches when Sochan plays the point as long as they can get the ball pass half court. This is where several ball handlers and leaking out alien comes in.

[DPG21920]

Insane what I just saw last night.

[MultiTroll]

Also the perimeter defense doesn't look to good.

That's being kind.
Too often pathetic.
Some real simple passing and screens left Miami shooters wide open.

Myself I'm only sold on Vassell and Sochan as teammates for Super Wemby moving fwd.
But, the roster is what it is at this point.