All eyes have been on Victor Wembanyama in Las Vegas. The San Antonio Spurs rookie has turned the 2023 NBA Summer League into a spectacle as it became the first place to see him in action since moving stateside.
Wemby’s summer league debut against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday didn’t exactly go the way he probably envisioned it. The Frenchman finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds on a brutal 2-of-13 shooting from the field. He did tally 5 blocks, but his offensive struggles became the headline after the contest.
But at the end of the day, it’s just summer league. That’s the crux of what Carmelo Anthony told Wembanyama during a chance encounter in Las Vegas.
“Just hoop and enjoy Vegas,” Melo told Wemby with photographers all around them.
Carmelo Anthony to Victor Wembanyama:
“Just hoop and enjoy Vegas.”
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 9, 2023
There have been dozens of summer league superstars who balled out in Vegas but eventually flamed out in the NBA. On the other end of the spectrum, there have been prospects who didn’t turn heads but became stars in the league.
Kevin Durant, who came into the NBA as a much more developed offensive player than Wembanyama, famously shot just 5-of-17 in his summer league debut. KD turned out alright.
We can’t predict just how good Wembanyama will ultimately become in the NBA, but it’s not going to be determined by his box scores while playing in the Thomas & Mack Center.
