San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama comes into the NBA with sky-high expectations as arguably the top NBA prospect since LeBron James. It obviously remains to be seen if he will ever reach the expectations that have been put on him. But at least in his NBA preseason debut, he lived up to all of the hype.
Wembanyama and the Spurs faced off against the Oklahoma City Thunder and fellow promising big man Chet Holmgren. And right away it was clear that Wembanyama is going to be the focal point of the Spurs offense.
The French sensation made a number of highlight plays that very few players in the world can do, including this driving layup around Holmgren, who is an excellent shot blocker in his own right.
Victor Wembanyama smooth finish to the hoop as he gets by Chet Holmgren. pic.twitter.com/qDxCkwtTDx
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) October 10, 2023
Another highlight play came on the defensive side of the ball, when he was seemingly beat on a drive by Thunder forward Jalen Williams, only to recover excellently for a chase-down block.
Spurs are having Victor Wembanyama defend the quicker, smaller Jalen Williams. Great recovery here for the block. Not easy to score on Wemby even when it feels like you have him beat. pic.twitter.com/Pr4uBeKVkr
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) October 10, 2023
Wembanyama ultimately finished with 20 points while shooting 8 of 13 from the field. He also added five rebounds and a number of other eyebrow-raising plays.
Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren trade 3-pointers 🔥
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 10, 2023
WEMBY AND-1 THEN FLEXES ON CHET 😳 pic.twitter.com/GMHphvjayH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 10, 2023
Fans were thoroughly impressed with what they saw from Wembanyama, and most clearly feel like he has a special NBA career ahead of him.
Spurs fans after seeing other NBA fans calling Victor Wembanyama a bust: pic.twitter.com/8kafsBX7ly
— PJ Hoops (@RealPjHoops) October 10, 2023
Victor Wembanyama tonight:
20 Points
5 Rebounds
2 Steals
1 Block
61% FG19 Minutes pic.twitter.com/CV6dThNMSw
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 10, 2023
Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren right now pic.twitter.com/VgE3UIao3M
— dean 🦂 (@DeanScorpion_) October 10, 2023
Victor Wembanyama in 19 minutes:
20 PTS
8-13 FG
2 3PM
5 REB
2 STL
1 BLK— Bala 💫 (@BalaPattySZN) October 10, 2023
Spurs Victor Wembanyama Made his NBA Debut (Pre Season) vs the Thunder..
20 PTS (8-13 FG, 2-5 3PT) (18 in first HALF)
5 REBS
2 STLSHow we feeling? ROTY? pic.twitter.com/auUAJJnG9C
— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) October 10, 2023
It’s especially impressive for Wembanyama to put up this kind of stat line considering he only played 19 minutes, the least of any Spurs starter on Monday night.
That will obviously go up once the regular season starts, so fans should be in for some truly special numbers put up by Wembanyama once the season is officially underway.
