Brian Windhorst | Brian Windhorst ESPNReading: 10 minutes
What impact will Victor Wembanyama have on the San Antonio Spurs and the NBA?
The French rookie showed signs in pre-season that he could contribute to the team. Sebastian Martinez Christensen gave his thoughts on how quickly Wimby has adapted to the NBA.
As Victor Wembanyama prepares for his highly anticipated rookie season, don’t forget that the last superstar, LeBron James, wasn’t fully formed in 2003.
LeBron James After a great moment, his old teammates wanted to make it memorable as it was his first game of the season. NBA and all.
The 18-year-old rookie was then asked if he would accept the honor of leading the team cleveland cavaliers One night in early October 2003, I was on my way to the first preseason game at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
james He ran out triumphantly and was about to start warming up, but suddenly found himself alone, with the sparse crowd staring at him awkwardly. Back in the tunnel, teammates were laughing. Ashamed of my naivety, james He could only shake his head when he heard the joke.
Twenty years later this week, the team’s prized rookie has never been hazed like this again. san antonio spurs, Victor Vunbanyamawhen he enters a field NBA The first was held earlier this month in Oklahoma City.
his teammates talked about wembanyama Not like a little brother in recent weeks — here’s how the Cavaliers are handling it james So much so that then-coach Paul Silas occasionally had to step in to defend his father figure early on – but somewhat surprisingly. Things have clearly changed for these outstanding teenage prospects.
“I think it’s just natural, it’s not normal,” Tottenham forward Jeremy Souchon said. “I’m here to help you.”
“The days when (rookies) were treated the same,” the veteran NBA coach said TottenhamGregg Popovich, “They left us a long time ago.”
Comparison between James and wembanyama They were irresistible because expectations were high for two No. 1 draft picks entering the league two decades apart.
james In 2002, when he was still a high school student, he became the cover character of “Sports Illustrated” and then entered Sports Illustrated NBA Signed a $90 million contract with Nike, nicknamed “The Chosen One” Michael Jordan He’s retired. wembanyama is a social media phenomenon whose astonishing combination of skills and size are probably unprecedented, and he happily enjoys the nickname “Alien” he’s ironically given to him james.
Winby excited for first regular season game
Victor Wembanyama talks with Malika Andrews about the preseason and the start of the NBA regular season.
Scouts, executives and the media all consider them the same type of can’t-miss prospect. Both men were already internationally renowned before entering the league, even without the impact of college basketball.
It’s easy to forget this james Not reached NBA Fully formed in 2003. He experienced some difficult, long-forgotten moments in his first few weeks as a pro that may be worth keeping in mind as a rookie in the pros. Tottenham The highly anticipated first season begins Wednesday night with the first regular season game against dallas mavericks (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Deportes).
“(wembanyama) This buzz has been going on for a long time, it’s kind of like lebron when it appears.I compare it more to lebron Than (the Spurs’ past No. 1 draft pick, tim duncan and david robinson) in that sense,” Popovich said. “Of course, I’m worried about that too. One of my biggest concerns was figuring out how to protect him or how I was going to give him a speech about this and this, and you have to be aware of that and everything. “
first preseason james It’s not worth savoring. While he had some great dunks and wowed fans by showing off his passing ability, his shooting was terrible.He averaged just 8 points per game through his first three preseason games, then endured a rough two-game stretch in Southern California, where he shot 8-for-32 from the field in two games against opponents. Los Angeles Lakers and scissorswhen opposing players give him a lot of space to challenge him for a shot, they almost laugh at him.
A national reporter asked if “hype” was shorthand for “Hey, have you practiced enough?” (Hey, did you practice enough?)”, after the bricando shot james Looks very homeless.
This has formed a sharp contrast wembanyamaInterest in him has been fueled by his stellar performances in the preseason, from dribbling between opponents’ legs to step-back jumpers and dazzling dunks. He capped off California’s first game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night with 19 points and five blocks. golden state warriors.
“I think I’m ready,” he told her. wembanyama arrive ESPN last week. “I know I haven’t seen the best level yet NBA It’s not even the best team and the best players so far, but it’s very exciting. “
remains to be seen If preseason wembanyama That will quickly translate into regular season dominance.
The first game is james During the regular season, one road game in Sacramento was considered historic. His first quarter was as surprising as a statement. He scored 12 points and had a steal in three of the team’s four possessions. kingone of which is an iconic photo of his first official dunk (2,108 dunks in the regular season and counting).
No one saw the 25-point, nine-assist and four-steal game coming. james Because he shot only 35% in seven preseason games and never reached 20 points. Looking back 13 years later, james He was a little surprised at how well she handled the situation.
“I had nothing to say to an 18-year-old kid at the time,” he said. james 2016, talking about watching that first game years later. “He was happy to be out on the field and having a good time. This was before social media and so on, so you didn’t really have to worry about anything, just go out and play and accept the results. Accept what happened and accept it. Keep doing it.”
Cavaliers james They lost their first game by double digits and started the 2003-04 season with a 4-15 record. james He led the league in turnovers through the first two months of the season and struggled as the team’s starting point guard before he was truly ready to take on the task.
wembanyama The game was played with an experimental lineup from the start.this Tottenham They plan to start the season with a natural defender, Devin Vasselland four inmates, with Sochan serving as setter and wembanyama There may be some ball-handling duties.And, as pointed out james, wembanyama He will have to play under considerable social media scrutiny, perhaps similar to what he faced in his disappointing debut NBA 2K24 Summer League.
this Tottenham They are a potentially exciting team wembanyama They are receiving increasing attention: they will appear on national television 19 times this season, up from just once last season.However, like Cavaliers the first year james (Cleveland ended up missing the playoffs with a record of 35 wins and 47 losses) Tottenham They may not be a good team.
Still, the first days seemed stress-free wembanyama They build trust. He was nervous and had trouble sleeping before his preseason debut two weeks ago in Oklahoma City, but he has seemed at peace since then.
unlike jamesHe started his rookie season with a three-game trip to the West Coast, wembanyama The first two games will also be played at home. Popovich admitted that the more he saw, the more protective he became and let his guard down. wembanyama Manage spotlight and game transitions NBA.Although the preseason is not what it used to be james are starting (when it was not uncommon for star players to play 30+ minutes and perform well in the fourth quarter), wembanyama The tone has been set.
“This doesn’t just happen to him. He’s been praised for a long time,” Popovich said. “He learned to let the sound go in one ear and out the other, that kind of thing. “He wasn’t impressed by any of the plot or criticism, he just wanted to play and be the best player he could be. “
Mementos from James’ first game have been sold for more than two decades. He comes from a different era, background and upbringing, and his experience is very different from anyone else’s. wembanyama No matter how well a rookie performs in their debut, they’re sure to be different. Tottenham.
But chances are they also have something in common.
“This is my first time NBA And then being able to be part of an atmosphere like that,” he recalls james“Very good”.
wembanyama James was two months away from being born when he had this experience. But even though he was from a different generation, he wanted the same things.
“I really wanted to discover everything I had seen on TV before. All the stories. All the stadiums. The atmosphere. “All of that was very valuable to me,” he said. wembanyama. “I know this is going to lead to incredible things and obstacles. I know it’s going to be a great year. “I know I’m making memories now that will last forever. “