Most of Wembanyama's defensive fanfare is dedicated to his omnipresence as a roving shot-swatter, but there is a distinctly "everywhere, anywhere, all at once, relentlessly" feel to how he guards overall.
It's almost Anthony Davis-ian.
Present-day AD will never spend as much time as present-day Wemby simply helping off the corner. He's too involved in, well, everything.
Guarding both ends of the pick-and-roll, on the same possession, is second nature to him. His recovery processing speed toggles seamlessly from the outside-in and inside-out. And he can just flat-out defend in space, opposite everyone from smaller guards to playmaking wings—not as merely a last resort or part of a switching scheme, but straight-up, deliberately, at the point of attack.
Though Wembanyama doesn't have the same every-direction explosion, he is coordinated, endlessly long and fast enough to operate on a swivel. He can run out from the paint to contest jumpers and corral primary ball-handlers with elite thrust above-the-break. There will be half-court possessions, perhaps routinely, in which he defends or helps out against three-plus players.
Surrounding personnel will help determine Wembanyama's utility at the less-glamorous end. San Antonio might decide to deploy him heavily, if not exclusively, below the free-throw line. But he's capable of much more—now and, most certainly, later.
