Doncic delivers honest Wembanyama verdict after NBA phenom loses on debut
Luka Doncic helped the Dallas Mavericks claim an opening-game win over the San Antonio Spurs but was impressed with what he saw from first overall pick in the NBA Draft Victor Wembanyama who made his NBA debut
The Mavs faced the San Antonio Spurs in their opening game of the 2023/24 NBA season at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday night with Dallas claiming a 126-119 victory thanks to an impressive performance from Doncic.
The Slovenian scored a triple-double with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in the win over the Spurs. Doncic, a four-time All-Star, is expected to be in contention for the NBA MVP award this season alongside the likes of Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, among others.
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Wembanayama was making his NBA debut for the Spurs after a summer that saw the teenager selected with the No.1 overall pick in June’s draft. The 19-year-old is widely regarded as one of the brightest talents to enter the league for many a year, after impressing in France with Metropolitans 92.
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Standing at 7-foot-3, Wembanyama scored 15 points from his 23 minutes on the court. The young forward also managed to get five rebounds and two assists, but could not help the Spurs avoid defeat.
Doncic was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2019 following his first season in the league. Wembanyama is one of the players expected to compete for that award this year, and now Doncic has opened up on what he expects to see from the Spurs star as his career progresses.
“He’s going to be amazing, he already is,” Doncic said, via , when asked about Wembanyama. “The size obviously (stands out), like everybody talks.
“The way he moves for (7-foot-3.5), he moves incredible. He moves like a point guard almost. It’s pretty amazing to see.”
Doncic has now entered his sixth season in the NBA and will be looking to help guide Dallas to the play-offs after missing out in 2022/23. The Mavs reached the Western Conference Finals in 2021/22 but lost to eventual NBA champions the Golden State Warriors.
Luka Doncic scored a triple-double for the Dallas Mavericks in the win versus the San Antonio Spurs (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Even though the Mavs were the favourites heading into the game against the Spurs, Doncic says he was fully aware of the excitement to watch Wembanyama on his NBA debut. Doncic went on to explain why he understands the hype around Wembanyama joining the league.
"It was fun," Doncic said, via , when asked about his battle on the court with Wembanyama. "We knew the whole building was going to be loud and everything.
“This is probably one of the best prospects to enter the NBA, so it was fun. For me personally, I like challenges, so that was a fun challenge."
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