3. Victor Wembanyama won’t be amazing right away
Victor Wembanyama made his summer league debut on Friday, July 7, vs. the Charlotte Hornets, and he struggled, recording nine points, eight rebounds, three assists, and five blocks while shooting just 15.4% from the field. His first game wasn’t a complete disaster, though, as he was outstanding as a rebounder and shot blocker. However, he struggled mightily as a scorer.
It’s not surprising that he looked shaky on offense because he was handling the ball on the perimeter very often and was asked to do a lot with the ball in his hands especially considering he’s 7-foot-4 and just 19 years old. It will take a while for him to adjust to being a high-usage creator who handles the ball on most possessions.
I think he’s going to be amazing on defense right away, and he might be good enough on that end of the floor to be a sub-all-star caliber player immediately. However, he could be pretty bad on offense, depending on how the Spurs utilize him. It’s just really difficult for a young player to provide a lot of value offensively when they handle the ball a lot, so it’s unlikely that Wembanyama will be a game-breaking offensive player as a rookie.
To be clear, Victor Wembanyama is an extremely talented player, so there’s no use in overreacting to one game and making strong judgments about how his career will play out. It is fair to temper expectations for his rookie season, though, and admit that he likely won’t be a superstar the minute he steps on an NBA court.