The good, the bad and the ugly of his debut

What did we learn from Victor Wembanyama’s disappointing debut with the San Antonio Spurs in NBA 2K24 Summer League?

The first overall pick made his first early appearance in a Spurs uniform on Friday night. He took on the No. 2 overall pick, Brandon Miller, and the Charlotte Hornets in front of a sold-out crowd at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center, a crowd that cheered Wembanyama’s every move as the night began. Once the game started, the crowd became less and less excited.

Wembanyama shot just 2-of-13 from the field, scored nine points in 27 minutes and contributed eight rebounds and five blocks in San Antonio’s 76-68 win. It would be a mistake to read too much into a single game, especially in a summer league environment after a whirlwind two weeks since draft night.

We’ve seen other future stars get off to slow starts in their summer debuts, such as Kevin Durant hitting 5-of-17 shots from the field in his first game with the Seattle SuperSonics as the No. 2 overall selection in 2007. With that in mind, let’s review the most important takeaways from Wembanyama’s debut.

Struggling to make shots
In some ways, Friday night was the opposite of Wembanyama’s last trip to the Las Vegas area. Facing G League Ignite and third overall pick Scoot Henderson last October, Wembanyama hit seven three-pointers, many of them high-scoring, en route to 37 points in the first exhibition for NBA scouts and media.

That game offered viewers a misleading impression of Wembanyama’s ability to consistently make tough shots. He shot just 27.5% on 171 three-point attempts playing for Metropolitans 92 in France last season. On Friday, those same attempts were off the mark, with Wembanyama in the air launching one triple and putting another on the backboard on the other side of the rim.

When Wembanyama hit a triple late in the game, drawing a foul in the process for a four-point play, it came on a more conventional pick-and-pop opportunity instead of dribbling.

Going forward, we can expect better shots from Wembanyama inside the arc. He saw multiple dribble attempts against smaller defenders – and they’re all smaller defenders for a 7-foot-3½-inch Wembanyama – bounce in and out.

Wembanyama’s first summer league touchdown came when he was able to establish deep post position against Charlotte point guard James Bouknight in transition. Taking advantage of the nearly 11-inch height difference with a 6-5 Bouknight, Wembanyama finished off and drew a foul for the three-point play. That’s the kind of play Wembanyama can make on a regular basis by running the court hard.

Learning the NBA floor

No, the stave itself isn’t much different from the FIBA version that starred Wembanyama in his native France, aside from the 3-point line a few inches further back and the addition of the no-charge circle. But the size and athleticism of NBA defenders alters what Wembanyama can do, particularly off the dribble.

Compared to the fluid style we saw Wembanyama play for the Metropolitans 92 last season, he was obviously thinking about what to do with the ball on Friday. He drove into the crowd on two of his three turnovers and narrowly avoided a couple of others when the ball was deflected, but Spurs were able to recover.

Those turnovers are likely to turn into positive plays as Wembanyama has a better understanding of how he can and cannot attack defenses. The best part of Wembanyama’s offensive game on Friday was his passing. He drove hard to the hoop in transition, drew the defense and set up backcourt mate Dominick Barlow for a dunk with a left-handed pass as one of his three assists.

It didn’t go in for the score, but I also liked Wembanyama finding rookie center Charles Bediako in the paint after a crossover move on the perimeter. Bediako committed a shooting foul on the play. Assuming opposing teams put their bigger players on Wembanyama, it will leave smaller help defenders trying to make plays when he is able to take defensive attention off the dribble.

Defensive Impact
Whatever his learning curve on offense, Wembanyama will come into the league as a difference maker on defense thanks to his size and mobility. Don’t be fooled by a couple of defensive blips on Friday when he was on the wrong side of a Kai Jones poster and a Miller move.

In fact, both plays showed the breadth of Wembanyama’s defensive toolkit. He spent much of the second half matching up with Miller, 6-9, chasing the second team around the perimeter in a way no other player his size would attempt. On Jones’ onside kick, Wembanyama was asked to help with ball-handler Nick Smith Jr. and then recover against the super-athletic Jones, something only the league’s best pick-and-roll defenders accomplish.

Even as he was getting his bearings in the NBA, Wembanyama blocked five shots, finishing off an ill-advised feed from Bryce McGowens and dispatching a Tre Scott attempt with his left hand, or possibly his elbow. We also saw one of Wembanyama’s perimeter blocks that could turn out to be a specialty, as he turned away a Miller triple attempt in the first half.