Number one draft pick Victor Wembanyama said “I really didn’t know what I was doing” as he made his long-awaited debut for the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs beat the Charlotte Hornets 76-68 in their opening NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas but Wembanyama made only two of 13 shots.
“Next time I’m going to do better,” he said. “I hope to do better every time.”
Wembanyama said it was “an honour” to wear a San Antonio jersey for the first time, in front of a sell-out crowd of 17,500 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
He finished with nine points and three assists from just over 27 minutes of action, but did also claim eight rebounds and five blocked shots – the most by a Spurs player in a Summer League game since 2018.
“The hardest for me was understanding,” he said. “Sometimes I was off with reading the plays and the calls.
“The biggest improvement I’ve got to do, it’s being ready to react to the plays that were called by the point guard, to stay connected.
“Honestly, I really didn’t know what I was doing on the court tonight. But I’m trying to learn as much as I can as quickly as possible, to be ready for the start of the season.”
Wembanyama’s debut came hours after Las Vegas police said no charges will be filed from an incident involving his security guards and Britney Spears.
He is in Vegas having opted against representing France at this summer’s World Cup, which will take place from 25 August to 10 September, to focus on preparing for his rookie NBA season, which starts in October.
He is expected to play again on Sunday against Portland before having a pre-season training camp with the Spurs.
“We have to take a patient approach with him,” Spurs general manager Brian Wright told ESPN.
“He’s intelligent but he’s also incredibly curious. You don’t see that a lot of times in somebody that’s that highly touted. It’s what makes him unique.”
