LAS VEGAS — The sport was drawing close to, the second and participant everyone in Vegas got here to witness.
Behind the basket, a Hornets staffer, awaiting his crew’s showdown towards Victor Wembanyama, spoke to a colleague.
“He slapped an American princess,” the staffer mentioned. “She’s royalty.”
It was dripping with sarcasm, to make sure. Britney Spears would possibly’ve been a pop sensation in 1999, however she way back descended into one thing else. Plus, Wembanyama by no means slapped Spears. It was Spurs safety who linked on the notorious backhand.
But the sentiment from the Hornets govt was simple to interpret. For the opposition, Wembanyama is a 7-5 French goal. He’s getting all of the hype. Sucking up all the eye. ESPN labeled him “the greatest prospect in the history of team sports.” It reached the extent of supernatural, as if Wembanyama would emerge in a UFO and evaporate all basketball norms.
And for what? Averaging 21 factors within the French League? Shooting 27% on 3-pointers? 47% total? There’s skepticism.
“He ain’t got no muscle,” Cam Whitmore, a first-round decide for the Rockets, instructed me a pair weeks in the past.
In his Summer League debut Friday, Wembanyama solely enhanced the doubts that accompany an extremely skinny body and unreliable 3-pointer. His 27 minutes was a misadventure. The spotlight was the pregame anticipation, with the Thomas & Mack Center filling to the brim and Wembanyama standing so tall he needed to bend down simply to get via the tunnel.
It exceeded the hype of Zion Williamson’s debut 4 years in the past, which was reduce brief, fittingly, by an damage and an earthquake. But then the whistle blew on Wembanyama and it grew to become obvious — nearly instantly — that this may not be a efficiency of exceptionality.
Rather, Wembanyama was overwhelmed. Sure, there have been flashy moments of his dribbling — a deftness and quickness with the ball that appeared surreal at Wemby’s peak. But he was drained. Outmuscled. He missed 11 of his 13 photographs. He dedicated three turnovers. He was dunked on by Kai Jones, a former twenty first total decide and present marginal NBA participant.
“Honestly, I didn’t really know what I was doing on the court today,” Wembanyama mentioned, “but I’m going to learn for the next game and be ready for the season.”
In different phrases, endurance. The thought of Wembanyama bursting out the gates because the Tour de France took a backhanded slap Friday night time.
“He’s going to have to learn our style of play,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar mentioned at halftime. “Just to be patient. And pick up what he can pick up as he goes along. He’s not going to get it all at once. He’s got a lot of potential. We’ll see what happens.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com