After not playing in the California Classic with the San Antonio Spurs, #1 overall ranked Victor Wimpanyama made his debut in the Silver and Black Friday on the first night of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
The entire basketball world tuned in to watch perhaps the most anticipated summer league debut in the history of the annual NBA event, but it turned out to be a disappointing showing for the French import as it struggled to make an impact and entertain the crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center.
In all honesty, short of dropping three triples or scoring 30 or more points, Wembanyama didn’t quite live up to expectations on Friday night, with everyone expecting a more polished, taller version of Kevin Durant right out of the gate.
Ultimately, Wimpanyama finished the night with nine points on 2-of-14 shooting, with eight rebounds and five blocks.
He wasn’t looking good and seemed to be struggling with his speed while being outplayed by Brandon Miller, ranked 2 overall, who posted a double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and three steals.
With Wembanyama failing to light up the scoreboard in his debut, the critics are out in full force, but Volume Sports’ Jason Timpf wants fans to calm down.
“It wasn’t the ideal basketball environment to see what Victor could do.”
– @employee Explains why we all need to settle down after Wemby’s debut pic.twitter.com/OuISrOWAho
– Volume (TheVolumeSports) July 8, 2023
Should Wimpanyama perform in his second or third game for Spurs or at some point during the Summer League in Las Vegas, the default in his debut will be all but forgotten.
Although the media has exaggerated Wembanyama to absurd proportions at this point, the 19-year-old newcomer needs time to adjust and get used to his new surroundings before he can truly be evaluated for what he does on the basketball floor.
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