Advertisement

Victor Wembanyama keeps the highlights coming in 3rd preseason game with nutmegs and no-look passes

Victor Wembanyama kept the highlights coming in his third NBA preseason game with the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Victor Wembanyama kept the highlights coming in his third NBA preseason game with the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The Victor Wembanyama experience is only beginning for the San Antonio Spurs. Every game will draw much more attention than usual for a team that has not qualified for the NBA playoffs since 2019 and finished with 22 wins last season.

So while expectations are high for the 7-foot-4, 210-pound 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick, every night can't be a dominant one for Wembanyama. But he can still be effective and put on a show.

Through two preseason games, the 19-year-old produced at least 20 points and a few highlights that went viral. On Wednesday in a 117-103 win against the Houston Rockets, he wasn't strong from the field (3-for-10), but he was solid at the free-throw line (7-for-8) and very strong on the defensive side of things (six rebounds, two blocks) in 21 minutes of play.

Not every play he was involved in was of the viral variety, but Wembanyama did provide a handful of highlights to chew on, of course.

The first was nutmegging 6-foot-6 Reggie Bullock, leaving the guard/forward wondering what had just happened.

Wembanyama put his defensive prowess on display with a block of Alperen Şengün.

And then chased down Jae'Sean Tate, who probably thought he had an easy two, at the rim.

We know the big man also has range, so leaving Wembanyama open like the Rockets did here was a bad decision.

Plenty of NBA players will learn just how tough it will be to deny Wembanyama around the rim this season. It's almost unfair.

He can dish it, too, in case you were wondering what else is in his locker of skills.

Wembanyama will be a content machine, and he will be plenty visible this season in the NBA's marketing efforts. San Antonio will play 19 games on national TV, 18 more than last season. Preseason games are even getting bumped up to bigger audiences because everyone wants to see Wembanyama play, which is wild, even to his teammates.

"I mean, a preseason game on f***ing NBA TV?" Spurs guard Devin Vassell said via ESPN. "It doesn't even make sense."

This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.