Major Storylines: What Will Victor Wembanyama Season 2 Look Like?

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We're counting down 24 key storylines for the 2024-25 NBA season. Our senior analysts will analyze a new topic each day as we help you prepare for opening night on October 22nd.

Here's the plot No. 5:

He shined as a freshman. What will Victor Wembanyama's second NBA season look like?

Let's take another look at the San Antonio phenom's first NBA game to provide a foundation for this topic. In short, he had one of the best rookie seasons ever that we wrote about last spring.

Based on traditional stats, if Wembanyama never improved at all and merely played at the same level as 2023-24 for another 15 seasons, he would post overall career averages – 21.4 ppg, 10.6 rpg and 3.9 apg – equaled or surpassed by only three legends in league history. This selected club: Charles Barkley (22.1 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 3.9 apg), Elgin Baylor (27.4 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 4.3 apg) and of course Wilt Chamberlain (30.1 ppg , 22.9 rpg, 4.4 apg).

Add to that his demonstrated defense — Wembanyama led the NBA in blocked shots (3.6 bpg) and averaged 1.2 steals per game — and the pleasure of watching the slender, 7-foot-10 man intimidate inside worked while he worked the ball from the outside and hit it from the outside (admittedly only 32.5% on 3FGA). Verdict: Overwhelming success, even if it stays exactly where it is.

Now consider all the reasons why Wembanyama should be better this season. And the next season and the season after that and so on.

He enters second grade physically bigger and stronger. His time with the French national team, where he eventually won an Olympic silver medal, was part of a tough summer of court work. What followed was a year full of NBA tricks and wisdom.

The referees have also gotten used to “The Alien” and know his game better. He averaged 5.2 free throws last season, good for 29th in the league. If he gets three more per game, he would finish in the top five.

The arrival of Chris Paul is likely to accelerate the refinement Wembanyama is already seeking. The veteran point guard has boosted the games of other big men, particularly by helping them be more efficient in pick-and-rolls. Overall, Paul should help Wemby take better shots and ruthlessly weed out flashy shots. His lobs could double.

However, the most impressive piece of Wembanyama's future Hall of Fame puzzle may have to wait until Year 3, Year 4 or beyond. That's winning. San Antonio's inability to improve as a group – an identical 22-60 record to before the Big One's arrival – was a disadvantage for them and him.

Rookies of his reputation have boosted their teams' performances in the past: Tim Duncan +36, Larry Bird +32, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar +29, and so on. Victory also unlocks major awards such as the Kia MVP and Finals MVP. For Wembanyama to create meaningful, lasting highlights – and not the video clips that merely provide cache space until the next crazy plays – his size and skill must translate into wins rather than losses.

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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can email him here his archive here And Follow him on X.

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