Previewing first five NBA games for Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama
San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama — the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft — enters the NBA with more hype than any other prospect in two decades. Now, at long last, the time has come for the 7-foot-4 center-power forward to actually play. Here's a look at his first five games in the NBA:
GAME 1: Dallas Mavericks at Spurs, Wednesday: Talk about starting your career with a bang. Wembanyama vs. Luka Doncic will certainly be the big storyline (if Doncic can play with his minor calf injury). However, Wembanyama vs. Dereck Lively II — Dallas' first-round draft pick from Duke — might prove to be the more fascinating matchup. Only 19, Lively — who stands 7-foot-1 — is light years ahead of schedule on defense (seven blocks in four preseason games). There are about 16 feet of combined wingspan in this matchup.
GAME 2: Houston Rockets at Spurs, Friday: Wemby & Co. get another in-state foe, the new-look Rockets. How first-year Rockets coach Ime Udoka will choose to defend Wembanyama will be fascinating to watch, because Houston doesn't have anyone on its roster who can match up with him one-on-one. Dillon Brooks is an established defender, but at 6-foot-6, he gives up almost an entire foot of height. Houston's centers Alperen Şengün and Jock Landale are good players, but their games are far more offensive-focused. This could be the first game in which Wembanyama is forced to navigate consistent double teams.
GAME 3: Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers, Sunday: After two home games, San Antonio hits the road to visit Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Clippers. Los Angeles has true centers in Ivica Zubac and Mason Plumlee — the fleet-footed Plumlee might be a better matchup (no such thing as a good matchup) against Wembanyama. This will be a litmus test for where San Antonio is as a team.
GAMES 4 and 5: Spurs at Phoenix Suns, Oct. 31 and Nov. 2: Wemby was getting Kevin Durant comparisons when he was 16 (before he grew to 7-foot-4), and in his fourth and fifth regular-season games, the two will finally share the same court. KD and the Suns don't have a "Wemby stopper," but new center Jusuf Nurkic — who stands 6-foot-11 — will give it his best shot. It might not matter who Phoenix can or can't stop because they have three elite scorers (Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal).
The first stretch of Wembanyama's NBA career is brutal, with games against four teams that have — at the very least — playoff aspirations. However, it will also give fans a chance to see how quickly Wembanyama can adapt to NBA schemes, size and strategy.
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