San Antonio Spurs rookie phenomena Victor Wembanyama got his first taste of the NBA on Friday in his Summer League debut.
The first-overall pick had a solid night, scoring nine points for the Spurs in a 76-68 win over second-overall pick Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets.
It wasn’t a night of total Wemby domination like some thought it could be, as he didn’t break double digits in scoring and even got dunked on by Charlotte’s Kai Jones.
While the irresponsible sports hot take machine might try to spin one decent Summer League game as some sort of bizarre indictment on Wembanyama’s future, the rookie gave a very measured assessment of his debut.
“Honestly, I didn’t really know what I was doing on the court tonight,” Wembanyama told reporters, per KENS 5’s Casey Viera. “I’m trying to learn for the next games…[it’s] important to be ready for the season.
“Sometimes, I was off-rhythm with the plays and the calls, and I think it’s the biggest improvement I’ve got to do, it’s being ready.”
Victor Wembanyama took to the podium last night after the Spurs' 76-68 win over the Hornets.
Wemby candidly evaluates the good, the bad and what can get better following his NBA Summer League debut in Las Vegas and what it means to wear the San Antonio jersey.
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/WPdyVyPQbD
— Casey Viera (@Casey_Viera) July 8, 2023
Wembanyama also felt that the rest he’ll get after the summer acclimation period for NBA rookies will be helpful, as the speed of the professional game is something he said he’s still getting used to.
“I think there’s a lot of conditioning to do to be able to play in an 82-game season,” he continued.
The Spurs rookie closed by saying he just wants to get better and learn as much as he can in this new phase of his career, which is exactly what you want to hear if you are a Spurs fan excited about his future.
Trying to gauge how an NBA rookie will do in his first non-regular season reps is like trying to gauge how an NFL rookie quarterback will be in his first preseason snaps.
It’s a bit absurd to make any grand statements about Wemby’s potential right now, but the sky is as high for him as it has been for any prospect to play in the NBA. He’s allowed to be human as he gets settled in a new league.
He’ll take some time to get adjusted, like all great basketball prospects do. It’s just bewildering to expect him to look like an all-time player in his first Summer League reps. After all, patience is a virtue.