Basketball super talent Victor Wembanyama impressed in his first appearance in NBA preparation for the San Antonio Spurs.
The Frenchman scored 20 points in the narrow 121:122 defeat at the Oklahoma City Thunder and hit eight of his 13 shots from the field – even though he was only on the field for just under 20 minutes. “He just went out and played basketball“said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “We’re still figuring out where to best use his skills. I’m not sure he’s even sure. But he’s a smart guy, so he’ll figure it out.”
The 2.24 m tall 19-year-old was self-critical. “I’m a newbie so I have to play hard and give 100 percent. I just tried to always give energy. But I can do better“said Wembanyama, the 2023 No. 1 draft pick from Paris.
NBA starts in two weeks
The Spurs will face the Miami Heat in another preseason game on Friday (local time). The regular season starts for Wembanyama and Co. on October 25th against national player Maximilian Kleber and the Dallas Mavericks.