Victor Wembanyama's regular season debut for the San Antonio Spurs didn't exactly go according to plan. While Wembanyama's presence on the court was felt in every second he spent on the court, he ended up playing just 23 minutes after finding himself in foul trouble for most of the proceedings in their 126-119 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Even then, Wembanyama bounced back and had himself a solid fourth quarter; after re-entering the game at the 7:12 mark of the period, the Spurs' prized rookie proceeded to score nine points in the period, scoring from all three-levels with two dunks, a midrange jumper, and an impressive make from beyond the arc.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich acknowledged that what Victor Wembanyama did, even though it doesn't exactly pop off on the stat sheet as he finished the night with 15 points and five rebounds, is difficult to pull off, especially for a rookie with as much pressure on his shoulders as he has.

“One of the toughest things for a player is you get into foul trouble and you never get in a rhythm and you're in and out of the game and that sort of thing. So I thought his maturity showed even at a young age,” Popovich told reporters after the game, per Tom Orsborn of San Antonio Express News.

In fact, Gregg Popovich said that he still ran some plays for Victor Wembanyama even though he was cold off the bench. And to the rookie's credit, he stayed ready and stuck with it, and he almost turned the game around for the Spurs before Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving put the game out of reach for the Mavs.

“We ran some stuff for him. He executed, when a lot of guys would've been totally out of it by then because they, as you said, were in foul trouble and didn't get their rhythm. So I thought he had a wonderful outing,” Popovich added.

Of course, it would have been even more wonderful for Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs had it resulted in a victory over the Mavs. But one thing's for sure, the Spurs won't be as easy to defeat as last season with the young Frenchman leading the way.