In his NBA Summer League debut on Friday night, Victor Wembanyama had his moments.
Here’s a blocked shot. 5 were sparked away.
There, give a hand or two. Along with three turnovers, the final tally was three.
Got a and-1 via contact, but the almost full Thomas & Mack Centre audience undoubtedly expected more from the No. 1 overall choice in the 2023 lottery, who is regarded as the best basketball talent ever.
All is well.
Because the audience began pressing him to act every time he touched the ball, even if it was going to be outside of the offensive framework, it started to seem more like an All-Star game than his debut game.
With only nine points on 2-of-13 shooting (1-of-6 from three), 7-5 (or 7-4) Wembanyama ended with eight rebounds to help the San Antonio Spurs defeat the Charlotte Hornets, 76-68.
In the second half, he only attempted one shot.
One. And the three-pointer that led to the four-point play was made.
Wow.
Here are some key lessons from Wembanyama’s debut, which was seen by basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
crowd apprehension
Everyone in the arena seemed to be standing and watching Wembanyama warm up.
The suspense is understandable given the extended period of preparation, but it was still bizarre to watch a whole stadium of spectators essentially standing still to take it all in.
The Spurs and Hornets only received approximately four minutes of warmup time, which is almost as absurd.
That is insufficient. Although they were running late, there was still not enough time.
That could have contributed to Wembanyama’s sluggish beginning.
The second-overall choice in the draught, Brandon Miller, went 2-of-8 in the first half while contributing 16 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte.
A lot of dribbling
Wembanyama was active in the post area in an attempt to dislodge the defender, although he made one or two unneeded dribbles.
Wembanyama certainly tried to utilise his stature in that way early in the game, but the Hornets were reaching in and making it difficult for him to retain the bounce and momentum.
Just not as simple to perform given that he is on the slender side and assistance is on the way. Wembanyama will kick it out for 3-pointers or need fewer dribbles to get to his area for a shot if better players are around him.
Then he attempted to take players off the bounce, but Wembanyama ended up overdribbling, mishandling the ball, and turning it over. He’ll discover that pulling up with one and two dribbles is effective.
Wembanyama said that the timing of the plays was inaccurate after the game, but it also seemed like he was a step behind.
initial basket
Wembanyama scored his first basket in the first period on an inside finish after drawing contact from Trevon Scott.
Although Malaki Branham’s discovery of Scott with a long pass down court should become routine, the information gathered via contact with Scott was excellent.
Look, it’s like giving Calvin Johnson a deep ball. He has an advantage in size.
Come on, young fella, get it.
passing score
The strongest aspect of his game on Friday may have been his ability to see players in the crowd.
He didn’t have to swat each and every shot out of bounds, but the blocked shots were amazing nevertheless.
Not volleyball, this. Maintaining possession of the ball may provide a transition opportunity.
Back to his demise. It will be simple for him to throw over the top. He can look above everyone, in hell.
He’ll have difficulty when he puts the ball on the ground and searches for the open player while attracting defence attention. Wembanyama successfully did it a few occasions, although he also missed layups.
pursuing theirs
Listen, I understand it when you talk about his teammates.
These men are looking for work.
Go for yours, but what happened when Blake Wesley missed a pass to Wembanyama towards the conclusion of the first quarter and instead made a 3-pointer?
Dude.
Fans came to witness Wembanyama, not the team game.
He only attempted one shot in the second half, one more.
One. Really?
There’s a balance, but it appeared like the other four men were trying to do too much and not enough to get the big man engaged. Wembanyama lost his energy as the game went on and was dribbling erratically on the perimeter.
Some of it is his fault. Although the offence can’t simply be iso and him making a play, it must still be aggressive.
Physicality
Keep it genuine. Guy is slender.
Got shoved around some. He fell to the ground while battling for position and became unsteady.
In Vegas, it’ll happen once again. Teams will put him to physical tests now and throughout the season.
He was dunk on by Kai Jones after a lob.
Ouch. Wembanyama rejoined the play after the pick-and-roll, but that will also occur again.
What kind of reaction might Wembanyama expect?
In his next game, he’ll start to really address that topic.
On social media, they’ll murder him. He can hear the chitchat.
What will this very gifted player, who has received unmatched hype, do against Portland on Sunday?
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