Victor Wembanyama’s highly anticipated NBA Summer League debut is finally here, with the NBA2K24 Las Vegas league tipping off Friday evening.
The San Antonio Spurs play the Charlotte Hornets at 9 p.m. ET, pitting Wembanyama, the top overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft, against No. 2 pick Brandon Miller. But while Miller and the Hornets have been in action since Monday in the California Classic league, this will be a lot fans’ first glimpse of what the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama can do.
So what can they expect to see from the Rookie of the Year favorite? FanDuel gives Wembanyama +122 odds to crack 20 points, which are better than Miller’s +220 but still far from a sure thing.
I would bet on those odds without hesitation.
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There hasn’t been much reporting on Wembanyama’s expected workload, and it sounds like he won’t play more than a couple games, but the fact he sat out of the California league should set him to get decent minutes when he does take the floor in Vegas. And as the main attraction, he’ll definitely want to put on a show, especially against Miller and No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson, who the Spurs play Sunday.
It’ll also be a nice escape from the madness swirling around him after his team security allegedly hit Britney Spears.
Wembanyama wouldn’t be the first rookie this summer to score 20 in his debut. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 22 in 22 minutes for the Heat on Monday. Lester Quinones scored 26 in 27 minutes for the Warriors. And a few non-rookies also cracked 20 points, including the Kings’ Keegan Murray. Even Miller scored 18 after a slow start in his 30-minute debut. Chet Holmgren hit 23 points in 24 minutes last year in his first-ever Summer League action.
Wembanyama is a better prospect than all of those players, with an offensive game that stretches from the paint to beyond the arc. I’m less bullish on his 25-plus (+400) and 30-plus (+960) odds. But as long as he gets the minutes, I give him a good chance to get 20.
