Watch Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama score 15 points in NBA debut.

One thing was clear from Victor Wembanyama’s debut — he has San Antonio excited about basketball again. The Frost Bank Center was filled and rocking in a way it has not been for a generation, all because of a 7’4″ French phenom.

However, the road to success wasn’t as smooth as expected.

During the first three quarters of his NBA debut, Victor Wembanyama struggled to find his rhythm. Although he showed flashes of brilliance, including a couple of 3-pointers and a block against Kyrie Irving, the Spurs’ highly anticipated No. 1 pick seemed out of sync due to some fouls that forced him to spend time on the bench. By the end of the third quarter, Wembanyama had only made two of his four shots, scoring a total of six points without a significant impact on the game.

However, everything changed in the fourth quarter. Wembanyama finally found his comfort zone and quickly scored nine points, igniting a run by the Spurs against the Dallas Mavericks.

Gregg Popovich couldn’t help but praise Wembanyama’s performance, as reported by Tom Osborne of the San Antonio Express-News.

“One of the toughest things for a player is to get into foul trouble and never find their rhythm while constantly being in and out of the game. I thought Wembanyama showed great maturity even at a young age…

“In the fourth quarter, we ran some plays for him. He executed them flawlessly, which is impressive considering most players would have lost their focus and rhythm in that situation. All in all, I think he had a fantastic outing.”

Wembanyama concluded his debut with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting (including shooting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc), in addition to five rebounds, two assists, and a block.

Unfortunately, his efforts were not enough to secure a victory for San Antonio.

In crunch time, the Spurs played like a young team, deviating from setting up plays for Wembanyama and instead allowing their guards to drive into the paint without a clear plan. This resulted in two turnovers and several missed shots in the final minutes.

On the other hand, the Dallas Mavericks had Luka Doncic leading the way.

Doncic showcased his MVP potential late in the game, setting up Kyrie Irving for two baskets and ultimately sealing the victory with a step-back 3-pointer.

Doncic finished the game with a triple-double, recording 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, guiding Dallas to a 126-119 win on opening night. Irving and Doncic displayed excellent chemistry, and Grant Williams contributed 17 points in his Dallas debut, also spending much of the night guarding Wembanyama. For the Spurs, Devin Vassell scored 23 points, and Keldon Johnson added 17.

Nevertheless, this night will be remembered as Wembanyama’s remarkable debut.