Three takeaways from Victor Wembanyama's disappointing NBA summer league debut - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — What did we learn from Victor Wembanyama's disappointing debut for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA 2K24 Summer League?

The No. 1 overall pick made his anticipated first appearance in a Spurs uniform Friday night. He squared off against No. 2 pick Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets in front of a sellout crowd at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center — a crowd that cheered Wembanyama's every move at the start of the night. Once the game started, the crowd became less and less excited.

Wembanyama shot just 2-for-13 from the field, scoring nine points in 27 minutes while also contributing eight rebounds and five blocks in San Antonio's 76-68 win. It would be a mistake to read too much into a single game, especially in a summer league setting after a whirlwind two weeks since draft night.

We've seen other future stars start slowly in their summer debuts, such as Kevin Durant going 5-of-17 from the field in his first game with the Seattle SuperSonics as the No. 2 overall pick in 2007. With that in mind, let's go through the biggest takeaways from Wembanyama's debut.

In some ways, Friday night was the opposite of Wembanyama's last trip to the Las Vegas area. Squaring off against the G League Ignite and No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson last October, Wembanyama made seven 3-pointers — many of them with a high degree of difficulty — en route to 37 points in the first showcase for NBA scouts and media.

That game offered viewers a misleading impression of Wembanyama's ability to make difficult shots on a consistent basis. He shot just 27.5% on 171 3-point attempts playing for Metropolitans 92 in France last season. On Friday, those same attempts were wide of the mark, with Wembanyama air balling a 3 and putting another one off