Much of the intrigue around Victor Wembanyama centers on what he could be. The tantalizing skill set considering his height is just the starting point. He's 19 years old and so the imagination will do what imaginations usually do.
This much we know now though.
When the time comes and Wemby looks back at his playing days, a setting that helped jump start the legacies of some of the NBA's best players, won't rank among his greatest moment.
Wembanyama's stats actually weren't bad in the blowout loss to the New York Knicks. Tons of players would gladly take 14 points and nine rebounds in their Madison Square Garden debut. But other players aren't hailed as, perhaps, the greatest prospect in basketball history.
While the top overall pick in June's NBA Draft had several rough moments in a 126-105 outcome that resulted in a third straight San Antonio Spurs loss, there are three that stood out. Let's go from bad to worse.
3. Victor Wembanyama starts 0-for-7 from the field
How about seven moments that combine into one?
Held to just two free throws in the first half, Wembanyama's first field goal came on a nine-foot jumper with 3:18 left in the third quarter. It brought his team within 28 points.
Too often a bystander in the Spurs offense through the first two week of the regular season, Wemby was aggressive from the start on Wednesday night. He not only took the team's first three shots, he did in just outside of a minute and a half. By the time San Antonio was on the board, they were down 13-0.
“He's just playing basketball. Ask him,” Spurs head Coach Gregg Popovich answered when asked why his super rookie stepped back after those first three possessions.
“We did have a tough, a rough start, collectively,” replied Victor Wembanyama when posed with the question.
2. OVERRATED (clap, clap, clap, clap, clap) OVERRATED!!!…
The New York City chants started to rain down after Victor Wembanyama showed frustration following a second half foul call. They picked up later when he stepped to the free throw line and managed to sink both free throws. Though he actually hit all six of his fouls shots, Wemby found himself on the other end of a NYC tradition. Just as some of the game's greats have starred in their Garden debuts, players have heard it from the crowd when they've struggled.
Asked if he feels a target on his back, Wemby was blunt.
“Yeah, of course. But it's not something new. I've seen that for the last years so I expect that. The challenge is always to stay lucid and keep our collective game good.”
1. Air balls
Before a decent number of fans had made their way to their seats, Victor Wembanyama had fired a shot that didn't hit anything but the floor. It came in between two misses from beyond the arc. About a quarter of game time later, Wemby fell short of the rim again.
“He's a 19-year-old rookie who's just learning about the NBA. Of course, it's a learning experience,” Popovich said.
Considering the 21-point loss, the air balls were more symbolic than significant. The 7'4 phenom with great shooting form twice failed to hit the rim. It wasn't the only time Wembanyama came up short in his debut at the “Mecca of Basketball.”
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