Wembanyama is refining the Nowitzki-style fadeaway, a move that could reshape the NBA’s midrange map

Victor Wembanyama’s offseason focus, at least as described in a new report, is on one of the most influential scoring tools in NBA history, Dirk Nowitzki’s fadeaway. The idea is simple but impactful: if the Spurs’ 7-foot centerpiece can sharpen a version of Nowitzki’s long, falling-into-the-jump form, it changes how defenders can attack him in the post and mid-post, especially late in games when possessions tighten and spacing breaks down.

The context matters because San Antonio’s last major leap was not limited to highlights or regular-season flashes. The Spurs were framed as a long-shot in preseason discussions, coming in at No. 13 in a preseason power ranking, a number the report ties to the team’s reality from the previous six seasons without a playoff appearance. Instead, Wembanyama’s development carried the Spurs to the NBA Finals, where they were beaten by the New York Knicks in a five-game series. The report also emphasizes a specific trend from the Finals: San Antonio led for 72% of the total minutes, a statistic that underscores how competitive the series was in stretches, even when the final result did not go their way.

In that sense, the offseason work on the fadeaway reads less like a nostalgic craft project and more like targeted problem-solving. The Nowitzki shot was built to survive contact and footwork traps, giving the shooter a way to create separation even as the defender contests high and turns the play into a timing battle. If Wembanyama can make that kind of shot a reliable option, it forces a different defensive calculus, one that can reduce the number of attempts where a contest turns into a denial or a late help rotation turns a one-on-one into a double-team.

The report’s framing also carries a broader implication for the league, not just the Spurs. The NBA has leaned heavily into three-point volume and rim pressure over the last decade, but midrange creation has remained the difference-maker for elite teams when defenses can smother drives and make spacing look ordinary. A player with Wembanyama’s size and touch can already score in multiple ways, but the fadeaway represents a specific “escape hatch” that does not require a clean lane. In practical terms, it can help teams stay functional when the offense stalls, and it can also shift how opponents defend his primary looks.

For the Spurs, the fit is straightforward. A fadeaway that resembles Nowitzki’s mechanics would deepen their half-court identity by adding a scoring threat that works off the ball, off the dribble into the mid-post, and out of post-ups where defenders try to crowd the lane. San Antonio’s Finals run also suggests the Spurs are playing at a competitive level that demands new wrinkles, not just repetitions of what already worked in earlier rounds. One additional reliable shot type can elevate the entire system by affecting spacing and matchups on every possession, not only the ones that end in a fadeaway make.

At the same time, it is worth keeping expectations grounded. Shooting mechanics take time, and a “work on the fadeaway” report does not guarantee immediate game-day conversion, especially under NBA speed and defensive adjustment. What matters most to watch next is whether the Spurs use the shot in real playoff-style situations: late-game isolation possessions, post touches against bigger defenders, and situations where they need a shot that can’t be chased off the line by a single rotation.

For the wider NBA title picture, the takeaway is that Wembanyama is adding an answer, not resting on existing tools. If the Spurs continue to build around a developing midrange threat, the league’s best defenders may be forced to defend a second style of one-on-one scoring at high efficiency. That could make the NBA’s most important games look more like classic half-court chess, with more pressure on footwork, timing, and creation under contest.

Ultimately, this offseason storyline is about evolution, not nostalgia. Nowitzki’s fadeaway helped define an era of midrange dominance, and if Wembanyama can bring a modern, longer-limbed version of that concept into the Spurs’ arsenal, it could be one of the clearest offseason indicates of where his game is headed next.