In a French-language interview, Wembanyama says he's trying to simplify his game, quoting Bruce Lee:“I fear not the man who has practiced a thousand kicks once, but the man who has practiced one kick a thousand times.”
posted by u/Existing-Sky9914 · 2026-10-28 12:07 UTC
“I'd say that in just four games, I've had the chance to see what works and what doesn't, what's worth exploring and what isn't.
And I feel like I'm getting closer. I'm trying to narrow down the number of things I do so I can get better at certain things.
Like Bruce Lee said,
‘I fear not the man who has practiced a thousand kicks once, but the man who has practiced one kick a thousand times.’”
## Top comments
1. u/Beautiful_Ninja · 2026-10-28 12:16 UTC
And that one kick better be the Skyhook.
2. u/adeelf · 2026-10-28 12:18 UTC
Came here to say precisely this.
It's ridiculous that this guy isn't spending all summer with Kareem, perfecting the shot. The guy is 7'5" with long-ass arms.
A skyhook from him would be literally unstoppable.
3. u/AeroBlaze777 · 2026-10-28 12:24 UTC
I was getting downvoted for saying he needs to develop a hook shot lmao.
He’s never gonna be Shaq and be able to bully his way to the basket, and it is a waste of his height to just be another KD (plus so far he has not proven to be as capable of a shooter as KD anyway). A skyhook would be a great answer.
4. u/jfellow09 · 2026-10-28 12:41 UTC
Just to be another KD is not easy. KD probably is best scorer the game has ever seen. I don’t think anyone can be as good of a shooter as kd is at his height.
5. u/Choccybizzle · 2026-10-28 12:48 UTC
KD the best and worst thing to happen to the league. It’s allowed big men to try and develop guard like skills. Unfortunately it’s also allowed big men to try and develop guard like skills 🤣
6. u/A2Eaton · 2026-10-28 13:09 UTC
Wembys handle is closer to Giannis than KD let’s be real
7. u/a_moniker · 2026-10-28 13:18 UTC
I’d argue it’s not that close to Giannis either. Heck, I’d argue Giannis’s handle is much better than KD’s. Giannis may not be super flashy, but he never gets stripped and can get to any spot he wants on the floor. Giannis is also way better at handling physicality while he’s driving.
Wemby’s handle is closer to Dirk’s. He’s a great ball-handler for his size, but you probably don’t want him dribbling more than he needs to.
8. u/Laetha · 2026-10-28 15:11 UTC
Dirk's ball-handling was really just something that enabled his use of his body and his footwork. It wasn't flashy, but it was extremely effective at letting him get into his attack with minimal risk of turnover.
It certainly wasn't bad, it was just a means to an end.
Look at probably the biggest basket of his career. No flash, but he kept the ball right where it needed to be to protect it and use his body/feet to completely blow by Bosh.
9. u/a_moniker · 2026-10-28 15:18 UTC
I’m not saying Dirk’s handle was bad lol. I picked him cause he’s still a good ball-handler, particularly for his size, but shouldn’t be tasked with dribbling for more than he has to. Dirk was really good at dribbling just enough to get his shot. That’s what Wemby needs to do too
10. u/Laetha · 2026-10-28 15:33 UTC
Yeah I mean if Wemby is capable of breaking guys down off the dribble that's nice, but with his physical gifts he probably shouldn't have to.
11. u/Complete-Union-2102 · 2026-10-28 16:11 UTC
No way you think Giannis’ handle is better than Kd 😭
Kd gets buckets from his handles, Giannis’ are just there so he can run and dunk.
It’s like saying Jj reddick has better handles than iverson.
12. u/Impressive-Date7314 · 2026-10-28 13:16 UTC
Giannis’ handle is elite. Wemby is not even close
13. u/xixbia · 2026-10-28 13:04 UTC
Yeah, if you combine KD on offense with Wemby's defense you have one of the best players of all time.
The problem is that Wemby will never be the shooter that KD was (or even is right now).
14. u/a_moniker · 2026-10-28 13:16 UTC
KD is not the best scorer the game has ever seen. MJ clears him easily.
KD might be the most skilled scorer at his size, but not overall.
15. u/jfellow09 · 2026-10-28 13:27 UTC
Kd is a more effective scorer. He can score from anywhere. Kd would also win 6 rings on that bulls team and the competition they faced. Mj was always the go to scorer so his numbers are higher but kd player much of his career with other great scorers like russ and steph too so he did not shoot as much as mj.
16. u/a_moniker · 2026-10-28 13:32 UTC
KD can score in more ways, but that’s not necessary when MJ couldn’t be stopped in the paint. It’s basically the same situation Wemby is talking about.
One transcendent scoring method is better than a bag full of good-to-great ways to score. KD is amazing, but there’s a reason he wasn’t always the go-to scorer on Championship Teams.
17. u/WhoreyMatthews · 2026-10-28 18:34 UTC
People seem to overrate versatility in terms of effectiveness.
Like if a pitcher could throw a 130mph fastball that was unhittable, they’d be the best pitcher ever even if they had no other pitches.
18. u/RedstoneRay · 2026-10-28 14:46 UTC
Just developing a sky hook is not easy for anyone. There is a reason we've only seen it with Kareem. Dirk tried to perfect it and even he couldn't do it.
19. u/fckcarrots · 2026-10-28 15:10 UTC
Ball knower comment. Same reason more bigs have not developed Hakeem’s footwork. Hakeem wasn’t just a hard worker, he was naturally graceful, quick, shifty and light on his feet.
It’s difficult to teach a low IQ player like Shaq how to be Shaq. He was naturally a bully in the post. But might be just as difficult to make a high IQ player unlearn habits to be more dominant.
But the skyhook…I think the skyhook is learnable for a primarily defensive-minded player who does not have to unlearn core parts of his offensive fundamentals to add it to his arsenal. A good example is Mutumbo in the 2001 Sixers vs. Lakers finals series. He had the skyhook on full display against Shaq and had some success with it the early part of the series.
But for every Mutumbo, there’s 10 Javale McGees or Rudy Goberts…
20. u/PrestigiousCod5629 · 2026-10-28 15:44 UTC
What makes you call Shaq a low IQ player?