Wemby’s Summer League Preview

07/07/2023

By: Matthew Cahill

Victor Wembanyama to Make Spurs Debut Tonight Versus Hornets (9:00 pm ET)

The day we’ve all been anticipating is finally here: The moment of truth. If you’ve been following basketball or tuning into any sports broadcast even a little bit, you’ve definitely heard of Victor Wembanyama, the 7’4” first-overall draft pick who can dribble and shoot like a guard while being an elite rim protector as well. You can’t miss him when you see him on the court because he just looks different. That’s the guy. Considering some have said he’s a better prospect than LeBron was, it’s safe to say that the stakes for his NBA debut are high.

Debut Hype

Basketball fans around the country are on the edge of their seats to see Wembanyama’s debut. But no one is excited as Spurs fans – and rightfully so. A picture of him working out in a Spurs uniform recently surfaced on the Internet. As you could probably guess, fans collectively lost their minds at the first sight of Wembanyama in black and white. On Wednesday, the NBA announced via Twitter that tonight’s game is sold out. In fact, this is projected to be the hottest in Summer League history.

Matchup Preview

Though the hype has been around Wembanyama, we can’t attribute all the ticket sales to him. He is by no means the only storyline of this game. A good chunk of the hype is directed not towards not just Wemby alone, but his matchup. He will face the No. 2 overall draft pick out of Alabama: Brandon Miller. We’ve seen what Miller can do, which only makes this game all the more interesting. On Monday, Miller played 31 minutes and put up 18 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block versus the Spurs sans Wemby.

Skill Comparison

Brandon Miller’s biggest strength is his versatility. He has a great frame (6’9″, 200 lbs) with the potential to legitimately guard positions 1-5 at the NBA level. Offensively, he is still a little raw in terms of isolation scoring, but is definitely going to thrive in transition as well as catch-and-shoot opportunities upon arrival. Most people talk about Wembanyama’s height and build as his claim to fame. And yes, 7’4” is a crazy height. But let’s not overlook the fact that Miller has the perfect modern NBA body.

But when looking at Wemby, he is quite simply an anomaly. He towers over everyone on the court and has an incredible 8-foot wingspan. Typically, the concern with someone this tall is mobility and ball control. Can they move quickly and control the ball simultaneously? For Wemby, the answer is a resounding yes. Offensively, he doesn’t have any prominent weaknesses in his game, as he’s shown the ability to score on all three levels. On top of that, he’s a great defender with the ability to completely shut off the rim. There’s nobody else like him as we already mentioned.

Can they both live up to the hype? Will they both be busts? Will the pressure be too much? At the end of the day, all of these questions could be asked. The answers lie within this NBA season. And it starts with tonight’s Summer League game.

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Photo: Aurelien Meunier / Getty Images