"The great ones are happy, thrilled even, to welcome a meal. They learn to stop jumping out and using their body to cut off ball-handlers and take charges, because they've seen the advantages they can sometimes gain by inviting drives, by baiting some fool into taking another dribble, into dreaming of scoring at the basket."
"Wembanyama has his own damn book, a grimoire containing secrets of the darkest defensive magic. Instead of leaving Murray-Boyles, Wembanyama fully turned his head and back to the court and faced into the stands, showing no sign of even noticing Barnes's attempted dunk until the Raptors forward was already in the air."
"Wembanyama looked almost irritated at Barnes, like he'd rudely interrupted something, as if what the Frenchman really did want to do on that possession was closely observe the movement patterns of his undersized counterpart."
Victor Wembanyama represents an advanced stage of rim-protection dominance in basketball. Great rim protectors develop the ability to alter shots through presence alone, creating an intimidating defensive zone. Wembanyama has progressed beyond traditional shot-blocking techniques to execute no-look blocks, exemplified in a game against Toronto. Rather than following conventional defensive strategy by leaving weaker opponents to help against primary threats, Wembanyama maintains his position while appearing completely disengaged from the action. He turned away from the court entirely while Scottie Barnes attempted a dunk, then suddenly blocked the shot with a well-timed hand. This unconventional approach demonstrates mastery of defensive positioning and timing, allowing him to operate by his own defensive principles rather than standard basketball strategy.
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