On Friday, Victor Wembanyama made his NBA Summer League debut, and he looked like he wasn’t quite ready for primetime, as he had a ragged shooting performance and struggled mightily offensively.
But two days later, he showed why he was the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft when he scored a very efficient 27 points to go with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots.
It has been reported that the San Antonio Spurs will now shut down the 7-foot-3 Frenchman for the rest of summer league play, especially since he has been playing lots of high-level basketball over the past calendar year.
Can report Victor Wembanyama is now 100% finished with summer league, per the Spurs.
All along, two games was the plan. Spurs wanted him to get a taste of the NBA, and he got it. Team saw what it wanted to see, now giving him a break after a busy 12 months.
— Mike Finger (@mikefinger) July 10, 2023
Understandably, some fans are disappointed they won’t get to sample more of Wembanyama before the NBA season starts in October.
Looks like we'll be waiting for 3 months. Buckle up fans. pic.twitter.com/lmSwP0zlV9
— KingRomeo (@RomeosWisdom) July 10, 2023
I wish that He would play JUST ONE MORE GAME … I would love to see a taste of Wemby vs. Chet but oh well … we will have to wait for it ; )
— 🏀 MY LIFE WITH NBA 🏀 (@Gutek_z_poligon) July 10, 2023
But others understand that it isn’t a good idea to put too much stress on the incoming rookie, whether it’s physically, mentally, or emotionally.
Absolutely the right decision. He’s 19, a young and growing body like his needs plenty of rest and he’s had almost none the last 12 months. Getting some good quality time now to rest before pre-season will do him the world of good
— Will Hodgetts (@WillHodgetts) July 10, 2023
He got showed up, sucks for him but yeah hopefully he can earn a starting spot come october, i think zach collins is more nba ready as of right now
— ! (@SunderHawksV2) July 10, 2023
In recent years, many NBA players have been playing year-round ball going back to their high school years, between playing for their school and for AAU teams, and it has led to their bodies aging prematurely by the time they hit their mid-20s.
That type of stress and premature aging has presumably led to some of the many injuries that have been seen these days in the NBA.
Wembanyama is 19 years of age and weighs just 209 pounds, and the Spurs need to play the long game with him, as he could give them some 15 years of outstanding ball as long as he stays healthy.
He would be better off working on his strength, conditioning, and overall game than playing in some meaningless games he doesn’t really need in order to sharpen his craft.
NEXT: Spurs Insider Reveals Major Victor Wembanyama Summer League Update