San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama speaks to reporters last summer. Credit: Meradith Garcia

After the Monday night’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Spurs fans can breathe a sigh of relief: No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama showed himself to be anything but a draft bust.

In the first preseason game of his career, Wembanyama lived up to the hype, scoring 20 points and ripping down five rebounds in 19 minutes of play. Adding to the excitement, that stellar performance went down at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City — the same arena where Tim Duncan wrapped up his career seven years ago.

“I felt that fire inside me,” Wembanyama told reporters after the game. “I was really, really excited.”

Speculation that the 7-foot-3 French phenom might be overhyped was put to rest in the Spurs’ 121-122 loss to Thunder. Wemby showed he can marshal the skills of a guard while fulfilling the roles needed of an NBA big man defensively and on the boards.

Highlights from Wembanyama’s performance included two drunks, a dramatic block and a between-the-legs crossover maneuver against 2022 Rookie of the Year contender Chet Holmgren. And that was just in the first quarter.

The highlight already going viral came in the second quarter when Spur Devin Vassell — who last week signed a five-year, $146 million contract extension — made a drop pass to Wembanyama, who then made a bounce pass to Julian Champagnie. Teammate Charles Bassey recovered the ball after Champagnie was stripped in the paint and passed back to Wembanyama beyond the arc. Wemby then drove back to the basket to make an underhand layup.

It’ ‘s hard to say after one preseason game — and one in which Jeremy Sochan stayed on the bench — what fans’ expectations should be about the Spurs’ playoff chances this go-round.

However, one thing is sure: Wembanyama can shoot from beyond the arc, run the court on fast breaks, and, most importantly, play defense and protect the paint. That combination is rare in the modern NBA.

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This article appears in Oct 4-17, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...