"I was mentally worn out": Victor Wembanyama sheds light on Summer League lows and exhausting media hype
By the time Victor Wembanyama played in his first NBA Summer League game, the French superstar already had the eyes of the world upon him. Throughout the course of the previous season he played with the Metropolitans 92s, Wembanyama continued to garner international interest for his stellar play. Following his clash with Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite, his superstardom rose immeasurably.
There was talk of Wembanyama being the most highly touted prospect since LeBron James, with others alleging that Wembanyama was an even bigger prospect. Heading into the 2022-23 NBA season, commissioner Adam Silver even went so far as to implore teams not to tank despite the appeal of landing Wembanyama.
Of course, once the San Antonio Spurs drafted the international superstar, the focus shifted to the NBA Summer League. Unfortunately for Victor Wembanyama, his Summer League debut saw him struggle on the offensive end of the floor. While his height and length gave fans plenty of excitement on the defensive end of the floor, his offense simply wasn't there.
As he recently explained to Clique in an interview, by the time of his Summer League debut, he was quite burned out:
"For instance, my debut games in the Summer League. I didn't play a crazy match but everyone was really hyped about it and I was really tired of the media. I was exhausted after an incredible season.
"And to think my season could end on that note after so many highs. But I woke up the next day and thought 'Go on, give it your all one last time, then you can go on holiday.' But I was mentally worn out."
Victor Wembanyama's bounce-back game in the Summer League
After Victor Wembanyama struggled in his Summer League debut, there was talk among fans of the Spurs shutting him down until the preseason. Given how highly touted of a prospect Wembanyama had been, many feared what could happen if he suffered an injury.
Fortunately for San Antonio Spurs fans, Wembanyama bounced back in the next game, showing his true potential as he scored 27 points in the team's second game. At the time, he spoke to media members about the situation, shifting the focus from himself, to the team:
"I wish we could have won the game. I think I could have done more to help my team win the game. We got to keep learning. We haven't been playing our best for like three quarters. Then in the fourth quarter, we were really dominating. It shows the personality of the team."
Since then, Victor Wembanyama has given fans plenty to look forward to after an impressive outing in his NBA preseason debut. Although he and the Spurs came up short against Chet Holmgren and the OKC Thunder, the team is eager to keep the momentum rolling against the Miami Heat on Friday.