San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama struggled in his Summer League debut on July 7 in Las Vegas. The first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft finished with nine points, eight rebounds, three assists and five blocks while going 2-for-13 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Wembanyama missed his first five 3-point attempts, but he drew a rousing ovation from the crowd when his sixth attempt went in with 2:50 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“Overall, I’m glad we won this game,” Wembanyama said. “There’s no better way to start for your premiere. Honestly, I didn’t really know what I was doing on the court tonight. I’m trying to learn for next game.”
Every time Wembanyama checked out of the game, he looked fatigued. He said he is going to have to improve his fitness to get ready for an 82-game season.
NBA NEWS & SUMMER LEAGUE: Victor Wembanyama & San Antonio Spurs Updates
“I think there’s a lot of conditioning to do,” Wembanyama said. “Especially with our play style, we run a lot. It’s really exhausting. Even though it was 40 minutes tonight, when I subbed out, I was always tired and exhausted. So I think there’s a lot of conditioning to do.”
The Thomas & Mack Center sold all 17,500 tickets for the Spurs-Charlotte Hornets game. It was only the second time the venue has been sold out the day before a summer league game. The other time was for Zion Williamson’s debut in 2019 for the New Orleans Pelicans.
NBA NEWS & SUMMER LEAGUE: Victor Wembanyama & San Antonio Spurs Updates
“It was a special moment,” Wembanyama said. “It was really special to wear that jersey for the first time. It’s really an honor.”
The Spurs are back in action on July 9 against the Portland Trail Blazers. It will be interesting to see if Wembanyama is able to play better. The Spurs organization is certainly hoping so.
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