Victor Wembanyama didn't get the gold medal that he wanted from the Paris Olympics, but he came away with silver and something that could potentially be even more valuable — an opportunity to learn something from Kevin Durant.
The two stars embraced after Team USA defeated France, and Wembanyama gave some insight into the conversation between them.
"I made it clear to him that I wanted to learn from him and perhaps only steal one or two of his secret techniques," Wemby said.
Wemby speaks on the moment he shared with KD after the Gold Medal game 🙌
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 16, 2024
(via @m6info) pic.twitter.com/lPHsZCeF71
Wembanyama has long admired Durant and has studied his game. That makes sense given their similarities in size, shooting and fluidity. It's scary to think of how much better Wemby could be if he were to incorporate some lessons from Durant.
Here are three of the techniques that he could steal from Durant to take him to an even higher level.
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Three moves Victor Wembanyama must learn from Kevin Durant
The hesi pull-up jimbo
Durant's signature move is undoubtedly the hesi pull-up jimbo, which became famous after a 2017 tweet from the star player in which he noted that you "probably don't understand what I just said if u don't REALLY hoop."
For the uninitiated, hesi pull-up jimbo is Durant's method of classifying a pull-up jumper coming off a hesitation dribble. Durant likes to set it up going left to right. He has been using it throughout his entire career, helping him shoot an absurd 51.8 percent from midrange last season.
KD closes the 1st half with the smooth J.. he's got a game-high 14 PTS for @usabasketball!#USABMNT 58
— NBA (@NBA) July 13, 2021
Argentina 42
NBC Sports Network & https://t.co/HbtDcrFgfZ pic.twitter.com/O6mU6gqITG
Wembanyama isn't nearly as accurate from that range, hitting only 33.7 percent of his looks as a rookie. That in-between game is currently one of his most glaring weaknesses, but there is plenty of reason to think that he can eventually incorporate that shot into his diet.
Wembanyama is already an excellent pull-up 3-point shooter, hitting 37.5 percent of those shots last season. And he has used a hesi dribble to get separation in the past, such as when he blew by Joel Embiid in the Olympics to set up a thunderous dunk.
Wembanyama needs to get more comfortable with using that move to get to his pull-up. Many of his midrange shots last season looked rushed and heavily contested. The hesi can help him create much more space to get a better look. Once he does that, it might be over for the league.
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Head tap
The primary play that Durant has used for years to get to his spot has been known as "head tap." It's a very simple action that gives him two different screening options to come off.
First, Durant can use a flex screen to get good post positioning on the block, oftentimes after a smaller defender has switched onto him. If that option isn't open, then he can come off a down screen to catch the ball for an open jumper.
Nets run something the Warriors ran a lot for KD, involving some flex offense action. The Warriors' hand signal for this was tapping the head with a hand, hence why it was called "head tap." They run this play for Andrew Wiggins nowadays. pic.twitter.com/7NjRrS4dBI
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) February 2, 2021
This type of action would also be perfect for Wembanyama. There aren't a lot of players who are deadly in the post as well as coming off screens to shoot the ball. Durant and Wembanyama are two of the few examples.
Both the head tap and hesi jimbo are all about getting Wembanyama to spots on the floor where he's able to score the most easily. That's the biggest takeaway that he can get from Durant. If he catches it on the block, creates space in the midrange or catches it off screens, there is nobody who is tall enough to affect his shot.
The Spurs ran a variation of "head tap" last season and it already looked unguardable.
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Post fadeaway
Durant doesn't get a ton of credit as an amazing post player, but he's been one of the best ever since coming into the league. Back in his Thunder days, he was in the 99th percentile of post players. In subsequent years, he's been one of the more efficient scorers from that range.
Durant is so deadly in the post because he's able to go to a simple turnaround jumper that is unstoppable at his 6-11 height.
At 7-4, this move should be even tougher to guard when Wembanyama tries it.
Despite his size, Wemby isn't a good post-up player yet. He ranked in the 27th percentile of players last season, shooting just 46.0 percent on those looks and turning it over frequently.
Durant is decisive when he posts up. He is also good at passing out of double-teams when they come down there. Wembanyama, on the other hand, is still learning where defensive help is coming from. Getting off the ball quickly as Durant does will make him a much more effective player down low.
Wembanyama still has plenty of time to learn from his favorite player. Durant has learned how to maximize his size and fluidity. The sky is the limit if Wembanyama can do the same.
