"Change His Body": Barack Obama Shares Honest Thoughts on Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama, in just his third NBA season, showed why the hype behind his arrival in the league was justified. The 22-year-old led his San Antonio Spurs to the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and took them all the way to the Finals. They fell short there, losing 4-1 to the New York Knicks, but it wasn't an indication of his ceiling. But it did show there were aspects to the game that could use improvement. Even former U.S. President Barack Obama saw that.

Obama, a big fan of basketball, joined an ever-growing list of personalities offering advice to Wembanyama in the wake of his Finals defeat.

On the All the Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Obama said he believes Wembanyama will meet the public's lofty expectations. However, he added that, given the way he plays, the Frenchman will need to make some major adjustments to keep up with modern defensive schemes.

"He's gonna have to put on some weight, he's got to work on his conditioning," Obama said. "'Coz you could tell he got tired. Partly because it just looks to me like playing defense today is so much harder because you have to close out everything.

It used to be, you're Wemby, you just plant yourself in the paint, and you're a rim protector," he added. "I'm watching him on defense now, the way they're using him, he's in the paint, and he's trying to close out a 3-pointer. You can tell he's going to have to change his body a little bit."

Wemby's playstyle is atypical of a big man, even in the modern NBA. Despite his size, he isn't just a rim protector. On defense, he sometimes has to cover missed coverages that lead to open jumpers.

On offense, he moves around a lot, looking to create space for himself. Thanks to his deep shooting range, Wembanyama often operates on the perimeter rather than being anchored in the post.

If he wants to keep playing that way, or if the Spurs continue to use him in that role, improving his stamina could be a major advantage.

While Obama acknowledged Victor Wembanyama's ceiling, he also believes that the Spurs have a strong backcourt to build another dynasty.

Barack Obama Praises Victor Wembanyama's Other Young Teammates

The San Antonio Spurs did not get to the NBA Finals this year on the strength of Victor Wembanyama alone. While he gave a glimpse of what he can accomplish when fully healthy, averaging 25 ppg and 11.5 rpg, the team's young backcourt also showed that they can become future stars.

Before talking about Wemby, Barack Obama also gave Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper their flowers. "Those guards, Castle, Harper; I love those two," he said. "And Harper almost won the game for them," the former President added, talking about Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Harper was the standout, scoring 25 points in a game where his teammates were not quite at their best. Wembanyama finished with 19 points as the Knicks secured a 94-90 victory and their first title in 53 years.

In his first postseason appearance, Harper displayed a level of maturity and fearlessness often seen in seasoned veterans.

During the playoffs, he averaged 14.1 points per game, an improvement on his regular-season mark of 11.8. His rebounding also jumped from 3.4 per game to 5.6.

In a few years, Harper, Wembanyama, and Castle could emerge as the league's next great trio and find themselves back in the NBA Finals with a chance to avenge this year's defeat.