LAS VEGAS -- What did we learn as Victor Wembanyama looked more like the No. 1 overall pick in his second game at the NBA 2K24 Summer League on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers?
After settling in, Wembanyama showed why he earned generational hype before being drafted with the top pick last month by the San Antonio Spurs. Wembanyama posted a double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Spurs in both categories and dazzling the crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center.
To nobody's surprise, Wembanyama shot better than his debut Friday against the Charlotte Hornets, when he went 2-for-13 from the field and scored just nine points. Wembanyama had surpassed that total by halftime Sunday.
Perhaps more important was how much more comfortable Wembanyama looked against NBA-caliber talent, making quicker decisions with the ball as San Antonio found a better plan for taking advantage of his unique skill set.
Let's break down what worked for Wembanyama on Sunday that might translate to the NBA regular season, as well as where the 19-year-old can continue to improve.
Attacking quicker
If there was any cause for concern from Wembanyama's play Friday, it was the difficulty he had playing in crowds, which caused three turnovers.
Two nights later, Wembanyama made the adjustment quickly. Only one of his three turnovers against Portland came in that fashion, and that play -- a charge against Jabari Walker -- was more a case of good defensive anticipation rather than a poor decision.
One key for Wembanyama finding more space in which to operate was simply playing quicker in terms of getting up the court. Running hard in transition allowed Wembanyama to get one-on-one opportunities in the post, often against far smaller defenders who simply had to match up with him.
The most impressive play Wembanyama made in transition saw him beat the defense downcourt after forcing Walker into an airball. Taking full advantage of the size mismatch, Wembanyama dunked the ball from several feet away from the basket while barely jumping, a play few others in the NBA could duplicate because of his 8-feet wingspan.
When Wembanyama played with the ball in his hands in transition or the open court, he made wiser choices to find open teammates before a crowd of defenders could converge on him. At times, Wembanyama might actually have given the ball up too quickly -- preferable to committing a turnover. As time goes on, Wembanyama will surely dial in the right level of aggressiveness.
Used multiple ways on offense
The Spurs' summer coaching staff also helped Wembanyama by tweaking the game plan for using him on offense. We saw less of Wembanyama isolating on the perimeter, a strategy that can work for him but often leads to challenging shot attempts over defenders off the dribble.
In the early going, it seemed like San Antonio was insistent on getting the ball to Wembanyama in the post, which resulted in a turnover on an errant entry pass by teammate Malaki Branham. As the first half went on, the Spurs began to incorporate Wembanyama more as a screener in pick-and-roll, frequently leading the Blazers to switch guards on him.
One fun play saw Wembanyama shoot over 6-foot-4 Trail Blazers guard Michael Devoe, a free agent who scored a game-high 28 points starting in place of injured No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson. Wembanyama missed his initial attempt but followed the shot and was fouled while finishing a left-hand putback attempt, converting a three-point play.
Double-teamed after another switch, Wembanyama was patient instead of forcing the action, eventually pivoting his way back into a step-through shot off the glass.
After Wembanyama handed out three assists Friday, he had none in his second game. However, we saw Wemby's passing ability on a possession against the zone in which he flashed to the high post and touch-passed to a cutting teammate in the paint.
Top pick Victor Wembanyama discusses how he'll spend his offseason ahead of his rookie year with the Spurs.
Shots still falling short
Whether it was nerves or lingering fatigue from his challenging schedule since the NBA draft, Wembanyama saw a number of his shots fall short Sunday.
We did see the shotmaking that gives Wembanyama the potential to become an unstoppable offensive player. Having started slowly with just two points over the first 12 minutes of action, Wembanyama got going after dribbling into a rainbow jumper from the elbow over his defender. Later, Wembanyama made a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the second one bringing the team within one point in the final two minutes.
In between, we also saw Wembanyama airball a 3-pointer short. That was the same issue that plagued several of Wembanyama's high-arcing free throws. He missed his first two attempts of the game and two of three after drawing a shooting foul beyond the arc. Overall, Wembanyama was 7-for-12 (58%) at the charity stripe, unusual for a player who shot 83% in French league play last season.
Given that track record, there's no reason to be concerned about Wembanyama's shooting. If anything, it's a measure of how special a player Wembanyama is that he could put together a dominant performance while fighting through the fatigue he acknowledged after Friday's game.
Based on everything Wembanyama accomplished playing in France, he didn't need a strong performance in Las Vegas to remain confident about his NBA potential. Still, it was nice to see him look the part, particularly for fans who were let down by Friday's anticipated debut.