Victor Wembanyama, the most anticipated rookie in the NBA since the landing of LeBron James 20 years ago, made his debut this Friday with the San Antonio Spurs in a preseason game in which he left some glimpses of his enormous quality and his extraordinary physical qualities .
The French prodigy added 9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 blocks in the game that the Spurs beat the Charlotte Hornets (76-68) in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas (USA).
It has not been a month since the Denver Nuggets won the ring against the Miami Heat and just 15 days since Wembanyama was crowned number one in the draft, but the NBA machinery does not rest and now everything revolves around this 19-year-old generational talent who seems poised for glory.
At 2.22 meters tall barefoot, Wembanyama showed in his first game in NBA territory his impressive ball handling skills for a center of his size and his ability to intimidate opponents and capture rebounds with a wingspan that exceeds 2 .40.
In attack, perhaps due to the nerves of the moment, he was not fine with a poor 2 of 13 in shots (1 of 6 in triples), he lost 3 balls and, at times, he seemed too hasty.
“It was a special moment. Really special wearing that shirt for the first time. It was truly an honor,” he said at a press conference. “Overall, I’m happy we won this match. There’s no better way to start. Honestly, I didn’t really know what I was doing on the pitch tonight but I’ll try to learn for the next match. The important thing is to be ready for the match. regular season,” he said.
Considered the most promising rookie in the NBA since the arrival of LeBron James 20 years ago, the 19-year-old French prodigy had 9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 blocks in his first game with the San Antonio franchise.
The French giant, whose urgent duties are to gain muscle to be able to fight with the towers of the NBA, was received with applause from the warm-up at Thomas
17,500 people filled this stadium at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and some basketball myths like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Jerry West were not lacking among the public.
Another example of the ‘Wemby phenomenon’? The average price to see him in this preseason game was $96, the highest for a Summer League game since 2015, when ticket resale platform Vivid Seats began analyzing that data.
Wembanyama, who has caused a sensation for the poise and serenity with which he is facing his ‘French revolution’ in the NBA, has also begun to ‘suffer’ the tremendous attention he brings in his wake.
The regular season of the NBA will begin in October and then Wembanyama will already be under the orders of a legendary coach like Gregg Popovich (in the Summer League the teams are led by assistant coaches).
The Spurs were the worst team in the West last year (22-60) but they have unlimited faith in repeating with Wembanayama the successes they achieved in the past by choosing centers in the first place in the draft, since David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997) forever changed the history of this team with five titles between 1999 and 2014.
