What we learned from Victor Wembanyama's NBA debut - ESPN

For the first three quarters, the statline wasn't impressive (6 points, 2-of-4 shooting). The jaw-dropping highlights seen in the preseason were mostly absent. Foul trouble kept him on the bench for all but 16 minutes.

In fact, for a while it looked like Victor Wembanyama wouldn't even be the most impressive rookie in San Antonio Wednesday night. That honor would instead go to Dallas Mavericks big man Dereck Lively II, who made his first six shots en route to 16 points off the bench.

Then the fourth quarter arrived and Wembanyama erupted for nine points in a three-minute span, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, though the Spurs ended up falling to the Mavs 126-119. Still, Wembanyama set the stage for what many expect could be a Rookie of the Year season in his highly anticipated NBA debut.

Our NBA insiders had Wemby's first game covered from all angles, and shared their biggest takeaways from a debut a generation in the making.

There was an NBA Finals-like atmosphere on the Spurs' sidelines before Wembanyama's debut. The Spurs credentialed more than 200 media members, representing eight different countries and territories. It seemed like all of them, along with Spurs executives and agents, were filling the sidelines and the baseline on San Antonio's side of the court when Wembanyama emerged from the tunnel for his pregame warmup with just over 74 minutes on the clock, counting down to the most anticipated NBA debut in a generation.

Wembanyama was high-fiving fans on both sides as he walked out, his 8-foot wingspan easily able to cover the full width of the tunnel. Dozens and dozens of phones and cameras were pointed at the man of the hour as he walked out to half court and began his pregame routine with some