A new stage in the life and career of Victor Wembanyama. Chosen number 1 in the Draft on June 22, in Brooklyn, a first for a Frenchman, the former protege of Vincent Collet in Boulogne-Levallois played his first match with San Antonio last night. Obviously, it was not an official match, but a Summer League meeting, in a Thomas
Even Britney Spears wanted to approach the phenomenon Thursday, in Las Vegas, a little too close to the taste of the security of the Spurs. “This person grabbed me, the security pushed him back but I don’t know with what degree of force,” he told the press on Thursday, he who had been instructed not to stop. to “avoid a crowd”. He therefore did not turn around and did not know, at the time, that it was the 41-year-old pop star … “I had no idea until the hours that followed, when a member of Spurs security told me it was Britney Spears. I thought he was making a joke, but it was her (laughs)”, he laughed.
Wembanyama was above all “impatient” to play and “happy to be there”, evoking his desire to “set an example in defense and play collectively in attack”. And to add: “I still have a lot to learn, but that’s good, that’s the goal of the Summer League”. Barely. Remember that the Summer League is a kind of laboratory to test young people and some rookies. It is not with this team that San Antonio will start the season. In the end, we will remember that the Frenchman, who played roughly in five-minute increments, struggled offensively, with little skill, difficulty in positioning himself. It lacked naturalness, benchmarks, fluidity. Muted premiere. The vice-champion of France finished with 9 points at 2/13 on shots, including 1/6 from afar, with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 ball losses and all the same 5 blocks. For the record, San Antonio won 76-68 against Charlotte with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists from Julian Champagnie. 16 units for Draft No. 2 Brandon Miller, despite his ugly 5/15 on shots.
After forcing on one or two possessions, the giant of Chesnay, holder, began to impact in defense, here by scraping a ball, there by slamming a counter or taking rebounds. With his dribbling skills, he provoked and distilled good balls. His first basket? Near the circle, he managed to turn around despite the fault, with the throw. Protected by the staff, he played the first four minutes before returning for the last of the first quarter. Still no address for “Wemby”, too short twice from afar at the start of the second quarter, but who still struck a counter to make his presence felt. Well defended, he struggled offensively, with another failure from afar when he returned to the floor, at the end of a first period dominated by San Antonio against the (very) clumsy Hornets (36-28 MT). He was very close to slamming a monstrous dunk but ultimately had to settle for two throws.
Score at the break? 5 points at 1/7 on shots, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 2 ball losses in 14 minutes. Note that Brandon Miller was as clumsy as Wembanyama, with 7 points at 2/8 on shots. The other Frenchman from Spurs, Sidy Cissoko, shone… in the shadows (0 pt, 6 rbs, 2 pds, 1 int, 1 co). It is more his register, he who comes from the G-League and who finished the meeting with 1 point (0/3), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 interception and 1 against (22 mins).
In the second period, while Brandon Miller floated for the Hornets but San Antonio continued to widen the gap, Victor Wembanyama had the greatest difficulty showing up. He was even dunked on by Kai Jones, while said Miller mystified him at the dribble. No point in the third quarter for the Frenchman, who committed a big “air ball” on recovery, forcing a baseline shot thereafter. For the show, it was necessary to turn to Champagnie, MVP of the day and author of a monumental dunk on the truffle of James Nnaji. Still lacking in rhythm, confidence, “Wemby” made a huge three-point brick before letting his frustration speak on a ball that he smashed like a volleyball player. With 2’50 to play, he finally returned his first outside shot, a three-pointer before the bonus throw, but he multiplied the bad choices at the end of the match, like this loss of ball on a climb in leader mode . Quite a symbol. There is still work. See you on Sunday, still in Nevada, against the Blazers of Scoot Henderson and Frenchy Rayan Rupert.