Pau Gasol believes Victor Wembanyama’s biggest impact comes closer to the basket, where his size, length and rebounding ability can make him one of the NBA’s most dominant players.
Speaking about the San Antonio Spurs star, Gasol emphasized that Wembanyama’s perimeter shooting is a valuable skill, but his greatest advantage remains his ability to control the paint on both ends of the floor.
“Wemby is crucial when he’s able, both defensively and offensively, to be closer to the basket and use his wingspan to disrupt the game and dominate it,” Gasol said on Drafteados, via HoopsHype. “Because no matter how much he can shoot well from the outside, in the end, where he’s really decisive is inside the paint when they throw him the ball and he gets offensive rebounds.”
Wembanyama has developed into one of the NBA’s most versatile big men since entering the league in 2023. The No. 1 overall pick averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 blocks in 64 games during the 2025-26 season while shooting 51.2% from the field.
The Spurs center also continued expanding his offensive range, making 1.9 three-pointers per game on 34.9% shooting. However, his interior efficiency remained the foundation of his production, as he converted 59.0% of his two-point attempts while averaging 2.0 offensive rebounds per game.
Gasol, a two-time NBA champion and former All-Star center, believes Wembanyama’s best statistical performances often come when he combines his scoring ability near the rim with his outside shooting.
“I think that’s where we’ve seen, I think those are also his best statistical games, right?” Gasol said. “Then, if he can complement that with two, three, or four three-pointers, even better.”
Wembanyama’s defensive impact has already placed him among the league’s elite. He was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2025-26 and earned All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team honors after averaging 3.1 blocks per game.
The Spurs built their 2025-26 success around Wembanyama’s two-way dominance, finishing second in the Western Conference with a 62-20 record before reaching the NBA Finals. San Antonio defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals but lost to the New York Knicks in five games in the championship series.
Wembanyama’s continued development will likely involve finding the right balance between his perimeter skills and interior dominance. Through three NBA seasons, he has averaged 23.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks while shooting 48.4% overall and 34.2% from three-point range.
