Victor Wembanyama finally debuted in the NBA but didn’t live up to the massive expectations set upon him. The Spurs lost 126-119 to the Mavericks at home, as Wembanyama was in foul trouble for most of the game and wasn’t even the most impressive rookie on the court.
Fans were amazed by the flashes they saw but left the contest disappointed.
Victor Wembanyama's NBA regular season debut 😤
15 points (9 PTS in the 4th quarter)
5 rebounds
2 assists
2 steals
1 block
6-of-9 FG
3-of-5 3PT
23 minutes pic.twitter.com/qPiBUJopYY
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 26, 2023
No. 12 pick Dereck Lively II ended up outplaying Wembanyama as both centers were making their NBA debut.
Mavs rookie center Dereck Lively II has a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds and made seven of eight field goal attempts in his NBA debut versus Spurs and Victor Wembanyama.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) October 26, 2023
Fans attacked the media hype by comparing Wembanyama to LeBron James, with the debut performances of both stars being vastly different.
Just a reminder that an 18-year-old LeBron James put up 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists in his rookie debut.
Victor Wembanyama is going to have a hell of a career, but understand there’s levels to this “greatest prospect” sh*t.
— GOWIE (@DaKidGowie) October 26, 2023
Fans were incredibly impressed with how Lively outplayed Wembanyama.
The world tuned in to watch Wembanyama, but they’re seeing Dereck Lively cook instead 👌🏾
— Glen (@Glenjr1988) October 26, 2023
Wembanyama spent most of his time on the bench due to foul trouble, upsetting Spurs fans.
Watching a Spurs game without Wembanyama doing anything because he's in foul trouble pic.twitter.com/QBKRStwGgt
— Velodus✨ (@velodus) October 26, 2023
Even with the overall struggles, the flashes Wembanyama showed with nine points in the fourth quarter have people feeling encouraged.
All I’m going to say is Victor Wembanyama is a very special player
— Grace (@gracesportakes) October 26, 2023
Fans continued to mock Wembanyama’s lack of effectiveness in large stretches of the game.
Victor Wembanyama walking back to the bench after another 6 sprints up the court and two fouls pic.twitter.com/Bsrgy3j7Aa
— spencer🦕 (@spen______) October 26, 2023
Fans ultimately declared that the lights may have been too bright for Wemby on this debut.
https://twitter.com/xJahstin/status/1717386641076322649
Wembanyama played just 23 minutes on the night after picking up a lot of early fouls that saw him sit for most of the second and third quarters. He scored 15 points with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. This wasn’t the superstar performance many wanted when they tuned in, but Wemby’s fourth-quarter barrage of shots showed he definitely is going to be an incredibly valuable player.
The Mavericks were led by their star man Luka Doncic, who notched a triple-double with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, including the game-sealing three. Kyrie Irving struggled until the fourth quarter but came alive at the end to end the game with 22 points and six assists.
Dereck Lively II was the biggest talking point for Dallas, coming off the bench for 16 points and 10 rebounds in his NBA debut.
Victor Wembanyama Had An Off Night
Wembanyama is going to take a while to adjust to the NBA, with the Mavs perfectly exploiting his size against him. The shifty players forced Wemby to pick up fouls early and essentially made him irrelevant. He couldn’t defend hard due to the foul trouble and was not on the court as often as many wanted.
But his three-point shooting is as legitimate as it gets. He hit fully contested threes, used his size to make the inside inaccessible at times, and showed extreme fluidity on the court. The foul trouble was unfortunate, but it’s a part of him learning to be an NBA player.
He will be fine in the long term, but this debut should be a source of fuel for him to come back even stronger this season.
The Mavericks Look Better Than Last Season
This game could’ve been a nightmare for the Mavericks. Kyrie was missing most of his shots and the Spurs were slicing the Mavs defense up in the first half like we were still in last season. But the Mavs got better as the game went on, winning this game on the basis of two extremely clutch stops in the fourth quarter. One stop led to a Kyrie and-one and the other led to a Doncic dagger three.
Grant Williams was one of the main reasons behind Wembanyama’s ineffectiveness, struggling to play over the stocky frame of the former Celtics forward. Dereck Lively is already proving to be a fantastic draft pick, as he is already the best lob threat Doncic has played with in his career. Luka is going to maximize Lively and make him an All-Rookie team contender.
They don’t look like a contender, but the Mavs should be in the hunt for the playoffs, especially if Doncic is playing at this level.
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