Gilbert Arenas says Victor Wembanyama should spend the offseason working with Dirk Nowitzki to slow down and use his size like the Mavericks legend once did.
Gilbert Arenas wants Victor Wembanyama to spend the offseason learning from Dirk Nowitzki.
The idea came on a recent episode of "The Gilbert Arenas Show." Arenas thinks the San Antonio Spurs superstar is in too big a hurry on offense and is not making enough of his size at 7-foot-4, and that Nowitzki is the blueprint for fixing both.
"Slow down. You're in a rush… Go work with Dirk this summer," Arenas said. "Dirk understood to keep the ball high. Shot from above his head. You couldn't block his shot. Dirk didn't move very fast or very quick. But got by everybody. Understanding pump fakes, triple threats."
Back in November, Arenas argued that Wembanyama "doesn't understand his advantage," that he keeps dropping low to create instead of just turning, facing up, and shooting over whoever is in front of him.
Nowitzki made a Hall of Fame career out of exactly that. He never needed speed. He had footwork, pump fakes, and a release defenders simply could not reach, and his one-legged fadeaway became one of the hardest shots in league history to contest. Over 21 seasons, he averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, shot 38.0% from 3 and 87.9% at the line, won the 2007 MVP, and carried the Dallas Mavericks to the 2011 title. They retired his No. 41.
The fit is there for the asking. Nowitzki has spoken glowingly of Wembanyama, calling him a player who is changing the game.
Wembanyama has already shifted away from shooting as many 3-pointers. He went from averaging 8.8 per game in 2024-25 down to 5.5 per game in 2025-26. He averaged a career-high 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 64 games on 51.2% shooting this season. He is also no stranger to borrowing from the greats, having worked on his footwork with Hakeem Olajuwon and picked Kevin Garnett's brain on defense in past summers.
Wembanyama is still leading the Spurs through the Western Conference finals, averaging 23.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists with 3.7 blocks in the postseason. He opened the playoffs with a franchise-record 35-point game and later dropped a 41-point, 24-rebound night.
A blood clot in his right shoulder ended his 2024-25 season early. He came back to win Defensive Player of the Year, the first player ever to take it unanimously and, at 22, the youngest, and led the league in blocks for a third year running.
