The San Antonio Spurs held their annual Silver & Black Open Scrimmage at Frost Bank Center on Saturday night, and all eyes were on Victor Wembanyama. It was the first time that we were getting to see Wembanyama on the court after he was ruled out for the second half of the 2024-25 season after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis.
Wembanyama eased any concerns regarding him fairly early on in the game. The Frenchman scored eight points in the first quarter, with two of them coming thanks to a monstrous dunk. Wembanyama brought the ball up the court and then moved Luke Kornet out of the way to slam it in.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin was just one of many to be stunned by the play, and he felt he was watching a combination of Kevin Durant and Shaquille O’Neal.
“I’ve watched this like 20x straight. He’s like KD and Shaq in one clip. Wild.”
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Kornet isn’t some scrawny 7’1″ center either. He is listed at 270 pounds, and Wembanyama showed off his strength by brushing him to the side.
There was a lot of talk about Wembanyama needing to bulk up when he entered the NBA as the first pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. He was listed at 210 pounds back then, and his agent had made it clear they would fight to not put weight on his body. The focus was going to be on strength and the core.
Wembanyama opted for some interesting training methods this offseason. The 21-year-old spent time with Shaolin monks earlier on and called it a great experience.
Wembanyama then went down a more traditional route by training with Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Garnett. The one-time All-Star described his training this summer as brutal, but it seems to have delivered good results.
The Spurs listed Wembanyama at 240 pounds entering training camp. He is in the best shape he has been in during his professional career, and you wonder what kind of season he is going to have.
Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 3.8 blocks per game for the Spurs in 2024-25. He looked set to win DPOY as a sophomore, but the ailment ensured it wasn’t to be.
Wembanyama is fully healthy now, and he will be looking to end the Spurs’ six-year playoff drought. His only playing 46 games last season led to the team finishing 13th in the West with a 34-48 record. You would expect them to improve, but will they improve enough to the point where they make the playoffs in what is a brutal conference? Only time will tell.
As for this scrimmage, Wembanyama’s Team Silver lost 67-65 to Team Black. They will now team up when the Spurs take on the Guangzhou Loong-Lions in their preseason opener at Frost Bank Center on Monday at 8 PM ET.
