The number one draft pick of San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama, has been hogging all the limelight since he was grabbed by the team ahead of the regular season of the NBA. However, the 19-year-old didn’t have a great Summer League debut.
Wembanyama admitted he needs to improve for the upcoming matches. The youngster scored a total of nine points as he could not hit the right shots.
“There’s a lot of conditioning to do to be able to play an 82-game season,” he said. “When I was sent out [of the game], I was always tired and exhausted.”
The Spurs won by 76-68 against Charlotte Hornets and Victor was delighted to make his debut for the team.
“Special moment. It was really special to wear that jersey for the first time,” Wembanyama said. “It’s really an honor. Overall, I’m glad we won this game. Honestly, I didn’t really know what I was doing on the court tonight. But I’m trying to learn for the next games. The important [part] is to be ready for the season.”
Victor revealed that his teammates have made him comfortable and he will look to deliver his best.
“There’s a really good dynamic with this group. It’s not every team that would have almost the whole team on the sideline like this,” Wembanyama said. “Of course, they were always supportive. I practiced with them a little bit. So, they gave me advice. They trust me. They believe in me. It’s really comforting.”
The team’s assistant coach Matt Nielsen said the youngster did a decent job as he doesn’t have much experience of playing with his teammates so far.
“He hadn’t played with those guys yet,” assistant coach Matt Nielsen said. “He did a good job. There was a lot of attention on him. Overall, I thought he executed really well.”
Victor admitted he could not read the plays and thus looked at sea.
“Sometimes I was off-rhythm with the plays and the calls,” Wembanyama said. “I think the biggest improvements I’ve got to do is be ready to react to the plays that were called by the point guard and stay connected.”
Victor will next be in action for the Spurs as they take on Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
