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No. 1 NBA draft pick Victor Wembanyama scored 27 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had three blocks in Sunday's matchup against the Portland Trailblazers.
The French basketball phenom put up 27 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had three blocks in 27 minutes of play. His performance in the Las Vegas matchup was a far cry from his NBA debut on Friday.
In that contest against the Charlotte Hornets, the 19-year-old scored just nine points, pulled eight rebounds and landed five blocks. Although veteran NBA watchers didn't read too much into the unsteady debut, some on social media declared it a major letdown.
"It's normal to get better every game. Two days ago was my first game," Wembanyama told reporters following the Spurs' 85-80 loss to the Trailblazers. "I had like, so much shit going on with the draft and the media and stuff. It makes sense."
Wembanyama's wobbly game against the Hornets apparently wasn't a dealbreaker for Hall of Fame Coach Gregg Popovich, who signed a five-year $80 million extension with the Spurs, the team announced Saturday.
"Of course, it's just another sign from him and from the franchise that they care about the project," Wembanyama said of Pop's signing. "There's something great going on — starting. We kind of knew it was going to happen, but now it's, you know, let's get it rolling. We can get started now."
Although Wembanyama appears to be getting into his rhythm playing at the NBA level, Sunday night may have been the last time for Spurs fans see him play until the pre-season kicks-off Oct. 2.
"I know I got to talk to Pop. I'm going to listen to what he's got to say. But, I'm ready to make any sacrifice for the team and give 100%," Wembanyama said when asked if he plans to play more Summer League games.
The potentially Wemby-less Spurs' next Summer League game will be against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. in Vegas. It will stream on NBA TV.
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