Wembanyama limited by foul trouble, still scores 15 in debut
Published
Victor Wembanyama was limited to 23 minutes Wednesday night in his much-anticipated NBA debut but showed flashes of his potential late in the fourth quarter as he finished with 15 points in a 126-119 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
The No. 1 overall pick picked up two early fouls and was then whistled for two more early in the third, sending him to the bench with four fouls. He picked up his fifth soon after re-entering, finally getting back into the game with just over seven minutes to go in the fourth.
The 19-year-old from Le Chesnay, France, then scored nine quick points in the fourth as fans in San Antonio erupted for the most hyped prospect since LeBron James in 2003 and possibly the most hyped in league history.
Wembanyama finished 6-of-9 shooting to go along with five rebounds and one block.
Luka Doncic had 33 points and a triple-double for Dallas in the win, while Devin Vassell led the way for the Spurs in the defeat with 23 points.
Wembanyama averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in just over 20 minutes a night during four pre-season games. He also averaged 2.8 blocks per game and shot over 50 per cent from the field.
He averaged 21.6 points and 10.4 rebounds playing in France last season.