LAS VEGAS — Victor Wembanyama was better, much better, in his second breakthrough in an NBA Summer League game, posting a team-high 27 points with 12 rebounds in 27 minutes for the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
Double-doubles are good, even in Las Vegas when the pressure is off and the competition doesn’t compare to what he’ll see when the real NBA season begins in October.
“It’s summer league and he has a big future ahead of him, the coming season and all that stuff, but I don’t think there’s any doubt that there’s a lot of attention and I’d be lying if I said that he probably doesn’t feel some of that,” Spurs summer coach Matt Nielsen said. “I think he showed his talent and resilience and he just stepped up and wanted to get better in the areas that we talked about.”
19-year-old Wembanyama, the 2023 draft pick and an international sensation, added three blocks and shot 9 of 14 from the field in Spurs’ 85-80 loss to the summer version of the Portland Trail Blazers. His 3-point shot brought Spurs to a point 1:58 from time and drew thunderous applause from a crowd obviously hungry to see him play like this.
It was a marked improvement for the 1.90-metre-tall Frenchman, who made a small house in his much-anticipated summer debut on Friday by missing 13 of 15 shots.
“I’m just getting used to myself, my body and the court,” Wembanyama said. “I had about two training sessions and a game before today, so I was just getting going.”
Wembanyama fared better against the Blazers after shrugging off some of the rust from the banqueting circle he’d fallen into following the end of his European pro season. He showed more dexterity near the basket, conceding enough fouls to score 12 free throws (and managed seven) and even knocked down a couple of jumpers. He stayed on track a deterrent to potential drivers and slashers – which was the biggest draw for Spurs fans from the five blocks he posted on Friday.
Wembanyama continued to struggle with maintaining possession as stronger players tried to take the ball from him, and he remained a moving object at the point of contact – two problems that should go away over time as he grows into his tall stature.
Wembanyama showed his potential on offense in his nine-point breakout in Sunday’s second quarter (he scored nine points for the game on his Friday debut), behind a skillful floating jump shot and two dunks that sparked palpable enthusiasm from the crowd . In the fourth round, he wowed fans with a 10-point blast that included two 3-point throws, a hook and a sharp spin, and shot out of the glass.
He also shot a wide-open three-pointer from the top of the key, a reminder that while the YouTube videos of a huge three-pointer were cool, he only managed .275 from 3-point range last season in France’s pro league lap.
Sunday’s game was supposed to be a duel between the two rookies who came into the draft with the most hype – Wembanyama and the Blazers’ No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson – but Henderson injured his shoulder in his debut on Friday and had to drop out.
The Spurs’ next summer league game is Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET against the Washington Wizards, and Nielsen conceded that Wembanyama’s summer will be called off early before the schedule is finalized.
“I’m sure that’s going to happen very quickly, but I’m just trying to get through the game right now, so I’m not sure what the next step is, but I’m just enjoying it,” Nielsen said.
Wembanyama added: “I need to speak to Pop (Spurs manager Gregg Popovich) and will listen to whatever he says. I’m ready to make any sacrifice for the team and to give 100 percent.”
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(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)