Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama and the emergence of a new NBA archetype

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called 7 -foot-4 Frenchman Wembanyama "the one big guy out there" Brook Lopez's game changed drastically in 2016-17 , his ninth season in the league and last in Brooklyn .

Lopez launched 387 3s that season , making a respectable 34.6% of them.

Lopez spent often offensive possessions stationed several feet above the 3 -point line.

Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez is one of 12 players who blocked at least 100 shots and made at least 175 made 3s last season .

Myles Turner , Kristaps Porzingis , Jaren Jackson Jr. are among those with at least 200 blocks, 150 3s , 150 assists in a season until Holmgren and Wembanyama both did so.

Turner: "Man, they're freaks of nature. They're very, very talented. I look at someone like Wemby , just a guard".

There were questions about whether Oklahoma City's Holmgren and Wembanyama could -- or should -- play center.

The Thunder experimented with lineups featuring 7-foot , 190 -pounder Aleksej Pokusevski at center during the 2022-23 season .

Oklahoma City determined offensive benefits of playing center outweighed the rebounding challenges.

The Spurs don't want to put limits, or positional labels, on Wemanyama .