NBA

Behind the Wemby Effect: The tricky ways Spurs are attacking their opponents (and what teams can do about it)

ballervisions 2026年1月16日

You don’t need me to tell you that Victor Wembanyama is a defensive force. There’s a tangible, visceral sound to what Wemby brings to the table that many don’t see. The question for me is: What are the opposition parties trying to do with Wemby?

One of my favorite subplots is watching as the announcers talk about the “Wemby Effect” (when teams stop driving), but Eurostep over the efforts coaches and players make to bring out his potential. Nice blocks, but let’s go over the little things that allowed Wemby’s defensive impact to take over night in and night out.

How the Spurs keep Wemby around the paint

One of the keys for San Antonio is the effort to keep Wembanyama in the rotation and protect the rim. The random things where the attack may seem to be available feel a little different when you see Wembanyama’s presence in the paint.

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In a good situation, Spurs work at their best when Wembanyama is deployed on the block his main job is. or anyone it’s in the corner. This allows the Spurs guards and wings to press, switch and drive the funnel towards the paint. With Wembanyama’s size, speed and timing, openings can close quickly and drives can be frustrating. When teams run a pick-and-roll where Wembanyama is defending the weak corner, he will rotate to pick up the roller, point to the guard and cover his man, and, thus, the Spurs defender is positioned again. Wembanyama is free to roam and protect the paint. And when teams bring him back into action, he can remove the paint and switch if you drive too far.

The tricky part is that opponents have to understand how tough Spurs are work to find Wembanyama in that lowly person’s condition, let him help. The ability to contain drives or block shots at the rim will get all the attention, but I’m a fan of the little things. When the Spurs defend again after a made basket, watch Wembanyama. Many times you will see him pointing and communicating, making sure everyone is aligned so they can get into their place.

In the play above, Oklahoma City worked to get to the guard/empty guard screen on the right. What initially looks like a ton of space for Jalen Williams to attack quickly comes at a price for Wemby’s help. The commitment is so strong that there is a moment when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is left without someone to guard him. The assist on the drive discourages further attacks and allows Spurs to defend with activity knowing what is behind them.

How lawsuits can attack Wemby’s aid

One thing we will have to watch as the season progresses is how the offense tries to counter and push what the Spurs want to do. While it may be difficult to deal with Wemby guarding the paint, every defensive scheme has an opening. If the rotation is compatible, the offense must work to gain an advantage and make the defense pay.

In the clip below, when OKC has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted on the right side of the floor with the all clear, Wemby sees it and moves around to help. On kicks, the Spurs are able to recover. But how are they arranged in The next one attack? OKC drives from the middle of the floor, Wemby hangs around the paint, and it’s a 2v1 on the left side. The skip pass opens 3 open.

Another way to combat Wemby’s help is to work to get him into a strong floor position. The tricky part is that teams have to hide themselves to some degree. Because of the connection mentioned earlier, if they try to set it up early, the Spurs will work to change their way out of it. Pushing him to the hard side of the floor should, in theory, remove him as the underdog or the last man standing wise to defend himself.

OKC’s plan was to start with a guard/guard screen, but only use that as a setup for the actual action. Note the rapid progress toward Williams and Chet Holmgren entering the middle of the selection. Williams now attacks that group on the left, making Wemby a solid full-back and leaving Harrison Barnes as support as Holmgren rolls down. OKC got back to the same set later in the first quarter and Wemby connected, which opened up a corner kick at the 3.

(There is a world where teams can try to get Wemby to defend the shooter in that corner. The problem is how often can you get it back in it once you’ve shown it and, as much as I love the X’s and O’s, the disguise of the plays, the defensive deception, we have to be honest: Basketball is played with speed, space, tempo and randomness. It is not easy to do always tap those types of buttons within the play flow.)

Wemby’s corner

What is against the defense of Wemby? The easiest thing to target is to work to get him out of the corner. Wemby’s presence defending that corner was so strong for Boston on Saturday that Joe Mazzulla was yelling for Baylor Scheierman to get out of the corner.

Did Scheierman participate in the action? Not at all. The most important thing is that he was which is no longer in that corner. And that meant that the Black One was also there not in that cornerbut on the move and not in a position to plant and help. The result? Jaylen Brown was able to attack Luke Kornet, turn the corner and finish.

The problem is that the counter is not automatic due to Black’s vision and communication. Adjustments are made and plans are changed. When Minnesota worked to move Wembanyama on Sunday, he refused to cooperate.

As Julius Randle clears the corner to come off a screen, Wembanyama talks the switch to keep him close to the block. When Jaden McDaniels sees that and decides to go to the screen, Wemby also interacts with the switch to keep him close to the block. It helps to have Anthony Edwards, who will be able to get the basket, but the Spurs’ defensive scheme was not confused. Wemby was able to stay on the block, everyone else was able to stay out of the rotation and reset. The connection and rotation allows Spurs to maintain a consistent impact defensively when Wemby is on the court.

Pop quizzes, cases

The impact of Wembanyama staying around the block and roaming the paint to help exists because of two questions.

First: Are the charges ready to spin what Wemby did?

Because of Wemby’s size, length, ability to recover and ability to take up space, there is no automatic coverage you will get. And behind him is a shield (if hooded) that is connected and works to move Wemby back to the right place.

When Brown gets a screen (below), Wembanyama starts to nail it at the free throw line. If you take a snapshot, that sounds like a drop. As Luka Garza tries to get a scouting angle, you can see how Wembanyama starts to sneak up and clear space quickly. That presence (and the doubt it can bring) allows Stephon Castle to roam and heal. And because the Spurs know their rotation, instead of forcing Wemby to rotate on the pop, it’s De’Aaron Fox coming out instead.

The easy answer would be to move whoever Wemby is guarding to the wing, but that opens up what makes the Spurs defense tick and puts Wemby in his ideal help position.

If Boston goes with Brown’s top pick-and-roll (below), Wemby has Derrick White on the wing. He’s not inferior, and technically the roll wouldn’t be his responsibility. Unfortunately for Boston, it’s just Wemby it takes roller as it enters the paint, the Spurs recover around it and, just like that, it’s back around the block. The ability to switch, anticipate what the offense is doing and set goals is where the Spurs defense has been at its best.

In another example, OKC goes with a guard/guard screen for Gilgeous-Alexander on the left side downfield. Holmgren split on the right wing to get Wemby out of that low, help position. You can see Wemby connecting with weaker defenders to rotate to dunk back in that lowly position. The Spurs know how to rotate, and if OKC reverts to high-profile pick-and-roll who is waiting to take Holmgren’s role? You guessed it, Wemby.

Second question: How much do you make? search putting the Black in action?

In other words, will he get the results he wants, and will that keep San Antonio from putting Wemby back in the relief zone?

In the clip below, Boston goes to the pick and pulls Brown and Wemby’s switches. What matters is not whether the Spurs get rid of the drive and pop, it’s what happens when Boston decides to go to the second side of the floor. Wemby immediately points to Barnes to rotate to Brown to get back on the block and, just like that, the Spurs are in the same trouble. Pritchard can drive and finish, but the pressure is on teams to win matchups again oppose Wemby’s help again.

In the clips after the performance, notice Wemby’s consistency as he runs past defenders to make sure he stays on the ground. The idea is to keep the cases in the same box, facing the same problem. Wemby is able to turn the changes into cases that face the same problem: he is a low-key man who talks about changing, blocking drives and wishing you would not tempt fate.

Does this mean the Spurs, currently a top-five defensive unit, will automatically become the best defense in the NBA? No, it’s not. Groups will adjust. The best way to do it is not to do one thing, but to work to move Wembanyama on the field and to exchange what he brings to the table.

The issue of the charges will be appropriate work to make sure that becomes a realistic equation because of the way Spurs work to keep the Black in a strong position. It’s something to watch all season long as we enter a very exciting playoff race.

But now it’s clear: Every night Victor Wembanyama enters the field is a night where he can anticipate and decide on defensive goals.