Gregg Popovich reacts to Victor Wembanyama’s debut: ‘His maturity showed’

Victor Wembanyama took longer than expected to dazzle in his debut, but he eventually reminded everyone why he was the top pick this year.

Victor Wembanyama likely took longer than expected to dazzle in his debut on Wednesday, but when he got going, everyone was reminded why he was the No. 1 pick this year by the San Antonio Spurs.

Wembanyama battled foul trouble and only had six points over the first three quarters. When he was pulled from the game after picking up his fifth foul just 26 seconds into the fourth quarter, it appeared his first game wouldn’t live up to the hype.

But, when he returned four minutes later, Wembanyama put on a show.

The 19-year-old registered nine points in the fourth quarter and helped the Spurs take the Dallas Mavericks to the wire. He made four of his five shot attempts from the field, including a 3-pointer, and flashed his generational talent in the game’s final 7 minutes, 12 seconds.

“One of the toughest things for a player is you get into foul trouble, and you never get into a rhythm, and you’re in and out of the game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I thought his maturity showed, even at a young age, where he came in for the last seven minutes and just played. We ran some stuff for him. He executed. A lot of guys would have been totally out of it by then because (of) the foul trouble. I thought he had a wonderful outing, considering that.”

Immediately upon checking back into the game in the fourth quarter, Wembanyama connected with Devin Vassell on a lob at the rim. Vassell led him perfectly, just as a quarterback would with a wide receiver, and Wembanyama went up and finished with two hands.

He then pulled up for a 3-pointer and two possessions later put the Spurs ahead by one point on a fast-break dunk. Tre Jones found him from beyond halfcourt, and Wembanyama slammed it in for the and-1 attempt, a play that will likely yield success for the Spurs all year.

Wembanyama finished his scoring run with a 12-foot jump shot on the left block, a play very reminiscent of Hall of Famer and Spurs legend Tim Duncan. He finished with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in the 126-119 loss.

The 7-footer struggled in the early going with fouls. He picked up a few ticky-tack calls that quickly forced Popovich & Co. to sub their top pick out of the contest and limit his time on the court. The fouling will likely take Wembanyama a few games to figure out.

He likely spent more time on the bench than anticipated. He tried to stay positive during his time off the court and cheer his teammates on to remain engaged in the game.

“It might be frustrating, but always keeping your head up is good for my teammates,” Wembanyama said. “I can’t show it on the court. We learn every day.”

Though it took some time, Wembanyama offered a glimpse of the production he can bring nightly. The results were mixed, but the organization must be encouraged with his first outing in front of the home crowd.

He is ready to do it all again on Friday versus Houston.

“Of course, I’m going to think about this game because it is the only game I’ve ever played,” Wembanyama said. “It is a long season. We have other things to take care of. Our rhythm is so quick that we’re already focusing on the next game.”

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