San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama received advice from none other than a fellow No. 1 draft pick in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Wembanyama made his long-awaited debut Friday at the NBA Summer League when the Spurs took on the Charlotte Hornets. Wembanyama and San Antonio got off to a winning start as they eventually won the game 76-68.
However, it wasn't the most ideal debut for the talented Frenchman despite having some impressive moments.
While he posted eight rebounds, five blocks and three assists, he only managed nine points going 2-13 from the field and 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, even airballing a three during the game.
It led to plenty of criticism from the media and fans alike with Wembanyama stating afterwards that he still had a lot to learn.
Abdul-Jabbar — a six-time NBA champion — was in a similar position when he started his first exhibition game for the Milwaukee Bucks as he didn't have time to work his way into the role.
And so, he provided sage advice to the Spurs man, stating that it will take a while before things start to click.
“You have things to learn but as you see he's an intelligent young man, he'll get it done,” Abdul-Jabbar told Wembanyama while appearing together on a panel at the inaugural NBA Con hosted by Isiah Thomas. (via ESPN).
It's no secret that Wembanyama wants to bring championships back to San Antonio and to that, Abdul-Jabbar provided further wisdom.
“The difficulty is in learning how you can best contribute to a winning effort,” Abdul-Jabbar added. “That's what you got to learn how to do with your skill set. And you will find out what that is basically in preseason, you'll find out a lot about that.”
In the end, it's still just one game for Wembanyama and if he heeds the advice from Abdul-Jabbar and continues working on his game, it'll only be a matter of time before we see him reach his potential.
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