San Antonio will take on in-state rival Dallas in the first regular-season game for Victor Wembanyama. Check here for interviews, highlights and a full recap.
SAN ANTONIO —
Pregame
Victor Wembanyama is set to make his NBA debut when the Spurs host the Mavericks to open the season on Wednesday night in San Antonio.
Gregg Popovich has high hopes for his young team as a new era of Spurs basketball begins. The 19-year-old rookie phenom has lived up to the insane hype in the preseason, and the excitement is palpable from the city and the fanbase to the practice facility and Wembanyama himself.
“This one feels unreal even more. I thought… maybe like a month ago I thought that some preseason games would prepare me for that moment, and it would be like just another game maybe, but it feels totally different. Just the fact that it’s an actual NBA regular season game, it is different,” he said after a long practice at the team’s new facility on Tuesday afternoon. “Feeling lucky as always, but also focused, locked in. We know what we’ve got to do, and a good way to start is with a win.”
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Wembanyama played in four preseason games and averaged about 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. He put up a series of astonishing highlight-reel plays on both ends of the floor and showed all the things he does at 7’3″ that make him the most highly anticipated prospect in 20 years.
Still, it feels like he’s just scratching the surface. He only played 21 minutes per game, and hasn’t yet gotten to play in clutch moments while wearing a Spurs jersey.
“I miss it, it’s been months,” he said. “I know nobody has seen my best side so far, because I haven’t gotten to finish games yet in the preseason. But it’s going to be interesting.”
San Antonio has treated the preseason as a sandbox for trying new things as they figure out the best way to deploy their talent on the court. Pop has made a bold decision to roll with a big starting lineup, and that allows Wemby to play the four, switch often and act as an off-ball disruptor.
“I’ve just learned so much ever since I came here. On offense, of course, the set plays and principles of the game, but on defense I’ve played a role that I had never had before, and I really love it,” Wembanyama said Tuesday. “I love learning and I’ve learned so much, experiencing so much new stuff in practice that I’m really, really excited. It’s promising. I think we’ve learned quicker than I expected. The possibilities on defense are endless with that team.”
Popovich has spoken about experimenting with Wemby and the whole team, saying on Media Day that he wanted to spend time watching and understanding his unique rookie before giving him too much direct instruction. The Hall of Fame coach has already made it clear that he wants to learn as he goes with this young group, and Wembanyama is excited about the chance to grow in that sort of environment.
“I thought about doing some stuff before, but in the teams I’ve played with, our league was so competitive in the past that we couldn’t really experiment. Just five minutes of experimenting (with) a new role just for me on defense, I’ve always been pretty important defensively for my teams, it was a huge risk. It’s stuff I thought about doing but never had the time or opportunity to do.”
Recent history
The Spurs are coming off a 122-117 preseason win in Golden State in what appeared to be a dress rehearsal for the regular season rotation. Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins joined Wemby in the starting lineup for the last two games, and Pop confirmed he’s rolling with the supersized starters moving forward. The team went 3-2 in the preseason, and the defense appears to be a point of emphasis.
Dallas closed their preseason with a 114-104 win over the Pistons after losing their first three. The Mavs beat the Spurs three times last season, with Luka Doncic famously scoring 51 after Popovich said they’d try to hold him to 50. San Antonio got the last laugh as a shorthanded Spurs beat their in-state rivals 138-117 in April. The matchup between MVP candidate Doncic and defensive pest Jeremy Sochan has been fascinating to follow as Sochan hones his craft, but we may not see it Wednesday night.
Injury report
Luka Doncic is listed as questionable for this one after tweaking his calf in the preseason. If he’s out, Kyrie Irving will have to shoulder a bigger load on offense. Dwight Powell and Jaden Hardy are both listed as game-time decisions for the Mavericks as well.
Zach Collins just signed a contract extension, but San Antonio’s starting center is listed as questionable for the opener with a non-COVID illness. If he’s out, will Popovich put Wembanyama at center and add Tre Jones to the starting unit? Or would backup center Charles Bassey slide in with the first five? Check back here for updates.
Game information
When: 8:30 p.m. CST
Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio
How to watch: ESPN
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