How Impactful Will Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama Be This Season?
Considering all of the hype surrounding San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, finding a basketball fan who won't be tuning into his regular-season debut might be difficult.
Whether it's to support, assess or even hate on Wembanyama — who's been deemed "The Extraterrestrial" by Nike — all eyes will be on San Antonio's court when it hosts Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on night two of the NBA.
But despite his height and the unique talent he brings to the Spurs' roster, Wembanyama is not the team's only option — meaning he likely won't be averaging upwards of 40 points a game in his first season, and especially not right away.
That's not to say that Wembanyama doesn't have the potential to score at will, but it will take some adjustment before that could reasonably be a possibility, leaving room for other San Antonio stars to continue to hold the fort down while the rookie gains his footing.
"Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell are good bets to lead the San Antonio Spurs in scoring again," Bleacher Report wrote. "But Victor Wembanyama should still be expecting a high-usage role for a team with limited front-court depth and prospect development as its No. 1 priority."
The site predicted Wembanyama to average 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, two assists and 2.2 blocks per game on 45 percent shooting from the field with a 28 percent 3-point clip, which puts the rookie among some of the league's top all-around players.
The assessment makes sense given his height, especially regarding the block totals. At 2.2 blocks, Wembanyama would already be among the top-5 block leaders in the NBA as a rookie.
If Wembanyama does fall near those figures, it certainly won't make the Spurs regret their decision in the slightest. Naturally, Wembanyama will struggle from behind-the-arc from the jump, but if he can improve his percentage into the 30s, he'll have delivered everything that San Antonio hoped for.
Nothing is certain, yet, but fans certainly shouldn't count out Wembanyama on any of the rookie honor lists. His ceiling puts him with a strong chance of becoming the Spurs' No. 1 option, and if all goes well, one of the NBA's, too.
You can follow Matt Guzman on Twitter and Instagram.
Subscribe to The Mike Taylor Show on YouTube.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Spurs? Click Here.
Follow Inside the Spurs on Twitter.
Follow Inside the Spurs on Facebook.
Want even more San Antonio Spurs news? Check out the Si.com team page here.
