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Victor Wembanyama is the most-hyped prospect to enter the league since LeBron James was selected first by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft.
The French phenom is expected to return the San Antonio Spurs to prominence after the organization has failed to finish above .500 four years in a row.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs dribbles the ball during the Charlotte Hornets game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
It’s a lot of pressure for a 19-year-old to shoulder, but Wembanyama appears ready to embrace the expectations.
"Having a better record for my team than last year," Wembanyama said on ESPN when asked what would constitute success in his rookie year.
"I’ve been looking into all the data of the past No. 1 picks, and what impact they've had. I'm trying to be better than every guy before me."
Wembanyama’s impact on the league was immediately felt last week when he made his Summer League debut against the Charlotte Hornets.
A packed crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas came to see Wembanyama’s first game in a San Antonio uniform, and the first-overall pick struggled.
San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama speaks to the media after the NBA Summer League game against Charlotte Hornets in Las Vegas on July 7, 2023. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
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While Wembanyama showed flashes of why he was selected first overall, he struggled from the field, going 2-13 from the floor and just 1-6 from beyond the three-point line.
His underwhelming performance sparked debate on social media whether Wembanyama would be able to live up to the hype.
Fortunately for Wembanyama, he bounced back in his second Summer League game, scoring 27 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs poses during the NBA rookie photo shoot at UNLV on July 12, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
"I wish we would have won the game," Wembanyama said. "I think I could have done more.... Have to keep learning."
San Antonio shut down Wembanyama on Monday for the remainder of Summer League, saying they had seen all they needed to see out of their top pick.
"I’m going to sit down with the Spurs to know what the next months are going to be like," Wembanyama said Sunday night after what became his summer finale. "When to go on vacation, when to start back working out, where I’m going to practice, in San Antonio or somewhere else. I just know I’ve got two to three months – two to three great months – that are coming and they’re going to change my life."
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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