I admit there is something incongruous about Victor Wembanyama shooting from deep. Everyone in the NBA is shooting 3s now, but it still strikes a primitive basketball nerve when a guy who can practically dunk without jumping settles for a 28-footer. Naturally, there were grumblings when Wemby stumbled out of the gate this season, launching 3s with almost unprecedented volume while shooting at just a 23 percent clip in his first nine games.

But I also admit that there is something incongruous going on everything Wembanyama does. The old rules of the game no longer apply – that’s true of the big leagues when it comes to 3’s, and it’s true of the laws of physics as they relate to the alien. Wembanyama’s simple basketball maneuvers are revealing, and watching his best play is like traveling through a wormhole into the future of basketball.

We may have gotten a glimpse of that future on Wednesday night, when Wembanyama dropped his first career 50 in a 139-130 win over the Washington Wizards. Perhaps because it was a match against his former Metropolitans 92 teammate Bilal Coulibaly and compatriot Alex Sarr (or maybe not), Wemby chased his shot more aggressively than I’ve ever seen. He launched five 3s in just five and a half minutes in the first quarter. They opened the pump-and-drive game. The pump-and-drive play, in turn, generated even more 3s. Wemby finished the match with eight made 3s on 16 attempts; it was his third straight game with at least six deep balls and the most three-point attempts in a game in his career.

Wembanyama’s three-game heat brings his season-long 3-point percentage to a respectable 34 percent, a tick higher than his level from last year. More striking is the increase in volume. Even before he launched 16 3s on Wednesday, 47 percent of Wemby’s field goal attempts came from downtown this year, up from 33 percent during his rookie season. Even as 3s proliferate in the NBA, Wembanyama is averaging more per game than any other center. He shoots nearly three more 3s per game than the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns, a prototypical modern stretch 5, who scored 46 points and hit six 3s. of his own in a loss to the Bulls on Wednesday night.

Of course it’s much tastier when they go inside, but that’s it Good that Wembanyama shoots from deep with such reckless abandon? During his shooting slump at the start of the season, Spurs – and Wemby himself – continued to insist this was so. Gregg Popovich, who has missed the past few games while recovering from a mild stroke, previously said he “absolutely” wants Wembanyama to shoot that many threes. It’s all part of the Spurs plan. “He’s more of a perimeter player than a post player,” Popovich said. “We want him to be able to do everything. … We just can’t do it all at once.”

San Antonio is clearly taking a long-term approach to Wembanyama’s development, but Wednesday night provided a fairly immediate proof of concept. It was striking how the rest of Wembanyama’s repertoire fell into place behind his soft 3-pointer. He scored over, around and then through Washington’s (admittedly porous) defense, exactly the way the opponent’s game plan allowed. When the Wizards dropped their center against the pick-and-roll, Wembanyama lined up his jumpers without hesitation.

The threat of the long ball led to fruitful drives.

And when he had Sarr on an island, his attacks were decisive and powerful.

Even against Jonas Valanciunas, who gave him a schoolyard beating at the other end, Wembanyama used his speed and shooting range to keep Spurs in front.

There is good logic in having Wemby get its reps from outside. At only 20 years old, he still doesn’t have the strength to push his way to the rim, and the defense is intent on pushing him to the rim. Knocking down 3s – rather than forcing the problem inside – is the surest way to get easy buckets and open up the rest of his approach. And in the long run, the deep ball simply has to be part of Wemby’s game, making his relatively low-stakes second season the perfect time to unleash it.

His resurgence also coincides with a broader push for more and more 3s across the league. Following the example of the Celtics, NBA teams are trying to squeeze every drop of three-point juice they can, encouraging players to expand their games and tap into every three-point potential lying beneath the surface. Wembanyama is just one of many – especially among the younger cohort – exploring the studio space beyond the arch.

All of which is to say that this probably won’t be the last three-point outburst of Wembanyama’s second season. When it’s on, the basketball rolls off his fingers like a blown kiss. He has that Steph Curry-ian ability to heat up a game and blow the top off – something Spurs fans will only become more accustomed to. But for the same reason, Wemby’s shootings earlier this season are unlikely to be his last. His first twelve appearances reflect the boom-and-bust nature of his game at this point in his career. If his shot falls from the outside, there is literally nothing the defense can do. If not, there isn’t much Wemby can do.

Wembanyama’s progression during his rookie season was a blur. He debuted as a talented but lanky power forward, and finished by challenging Rudy Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year (and then usurping him from Team France). If Wemby can make similar strides on offense this season, he’ll ruin the All-NBA conversation sooner or later — especially if the 6-6 Spurs can hang around in the playoff race.

But that all depends on the fickle 3-pointer. That’s just the nature of the NBA and Victor Wembanyama in 2024. One way or another, you’ll see something new.