Victor Wembanyama, the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, will be facing pressure to deliver from the get-go that's almost unprecedented in the NBA. Wembanyama, before the San Antonio Spurs drafted him, drew comparisons to Rudy Gobert for his defense and Kevin Durant for his incredible ability to create shots for himself at his size.

Alas, during Wembanyama's 2023 NBA Summer League debut, things did not go according to plan. The 19-year old Frenchman looked almost lost at times, unable to get into a rhythm on offense even as the Spurs took home a 77-68 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. In the end, the Spurs rookie finished with just nine points on 2-13 shooting, although he did have five blocks.

But beyond the putrid shooting, Victor Wembanyama also had a few embarrassing plays he was responsible for. He blew a wide open dunk, he airballed a three, and he found himself on the receiving end of a poster jam from Hornets big man Kai Jones. Nevertheless, the Spurs rookie acknowledged that he is still learning the ropes, as even a player as talented as him would have to undergo a learning curve while transitioning to the NBA game.

“Honestly, I did not really know what I was doing on the court tonight, but it's what I learn from for the next games. The important thing is to be ready for the season,” Wembanyama said during his postgame presser following the Spurs' Summer League win, per Nate Ryan of KENS5 – San Antonio.

At the very least, Victor Wembanyama's confidence remains intact even as he fell way short of everyone's lofty expectations of him during his Summer League debut. As Giannis Antetokounmpo said, it's not “failure”, it's “steps to success”, and Wembanyama will certainly have a lot of tape to comb over with regards to the improvements he must make in the immediate future.

Still, even after a rough game, it's clear that Wembanyama's floor as a contributor in the NBA is still exceptionally high. But he has a lot of work to put in to emerge as the player many think he's capable of — beginning with the Spurs' next Summer League contest against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.