Watch: Victor Wembanyama drives through Chet Holmgren and flexes on him after making tough bucket
Many were excited to see San Antonio Spurs 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama’s preseason debut on Monday and the French big man didn’t disappoint. Taking on 2022 No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren and the OKC Thunder, the game turned into a battle of the big men in the first half.
"Wemby" had a series of nice highlights, including one first-quarter play where he took Holmgren off the dribble from the 3-point line. Wembanyama proceeded to crossover the Thunder big man and drive to the basket, where he converted a tough and-one finish.
Afterward, the French phenom then took the opportunity to flex on Holmgren:
Some of Wembanyama’s other top plays from Monday night include him throwing down a one-handed slam in transition later in the first quarter:
He also converted an acrobatic layup over Holmgren in the second quarter:
The 2023 No. 1 pick then showed off his versatility by hitting a side-step 3-pointer off a hand-off:
Meanwhile, Holmgren finished with a nice highlight reel as well, including a series of tough finishes around the rim. This includes an and-one finish of his own as well as a one-handed alley-oop. The big man also flashed his range as he drained a couple of 3-pointers:
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What were Victor Wembanyama’s stats in his preseason debut?
As for Victor Wembanyama’s final stat line in his preseason debut, he finished with 20 points, five rebounds, two steals, one block and two 3-pointers on 61.5% shooting. The big man did so in just 19 minutes before taking a hard-earned rest. The Spurs went on to lose 122-121, but fortunately for Wembanyama, the final score doesn't matter too much in preseason.
As for Holmgren, he finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, one assist, one block and two 3-pointers on 70% shooting in just 16 minutes.
So, both players were able to make a big impact on the game in limited action.