NBA Summer League: French star Victor Wembanyama delivers a lackluster performance for San Antonio Spurs

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Victor Wembanyama, the highly anticipated top draft pick, had a challenging debut for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Summer League. Standing at an impressive 7-foot-4 (2.24m), the 19-year-old French prodigy faced struggles throughout the game, particularly with his shooting. He made only 2-of-13 shots from the floor, including a disappointing 1-of-6 from 3-point range. Finishing with nine points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots, and three assists in just over 27 minutes on the court, Wembanyama expressed his awareness of the learning curve he faces in order to live up to the tremendous hype surrounding him as the NBA's best prospect since LeBron James nearly 20 years ago. Reflecting on his performance, Wembanyama humbly admitted, «Honestly, I really didn't know what I was doing on the court tonight. But I'm trying to learn for the next games, and the important thing is to be ready for the season.» As he made his first foray into NBA competition against fellow young talents and newcomers, the French sensation recognized the need to improve his speed and reaction time when executing plays.

«The hardest for me was understanding—sometimes I was off with reading the plays and the calls,» Wembanyama shared. «The biggest improvement I've got to do is being ready to react to the plays that were called by the point guard. Stay connected.» Despite his struggles on offense, Wembanyama showcased his defensive prowess by recording five blocked shots, the most by a Spurs player in a Summer League game since 2018. This defensive impact demonstrated that his