Will Victor Wembanyama play in the 2023 NBA Summer League?
With the NBA’s Summer League almost here, the question on every basketball fan’s mind is whether we’ll get to see French sensation Victor Wembanyama.
The 2023 NBA Draft class is laden with talent, not the least of which is the 7-foot-4 star from France who was selected at No. 1 overall by the San Antonio Spurs. With reports indicating that he will in fact play in the upcoming Summer League, it’s going to be exciting, to say the least.
Victor Wembanyama will play in the NBA Summer League
Based on comments from the man himself, Victor Wembanyama will in fact play in the NBA’s Summer League this year. Now, to be fair, most rookies do participate in the tournament, however, the extent to which they do so is often determined by their performance. Take for example 2022′s No. 1 overall pick, Paolo Banchero, who was shut down after just a handful of the games with the Orlando Magic, and everyone in attendance to be honest, having seen enough to know he was worth the hype. With that in mind, expect the San Antonio Spurs who selected Wembanyama at No. 1 overall to be very cautious with their new star, and even more so if he starts to shine. The last thing any team wants is an injury to one of their young stars.
There will be other stars at the NBA Summer League
That’s right! Quite frankly, we’re in for a show this July. As you might have seen, the Summer League schedule has now been released and as a result of that, we know that the Spurs will face the Charlotte Hornets on the very first day of play. You probably already know that the Hornets selected Alabama’s Brandon Miller with the second pick and that means we’re going to see them go head-to-head on July 7th. Then just two days later on July 9th, the Spurs will take on the Portland Trail Blazers, who as you may know used the third pick in the draft to select the other player who is the talk of the town, Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite.
Incidentally, should they both play it will actually be the second time that they’ve met, having faced each other in an exhibition game late last year in Las Vegas. Wembanyama was of course still playing for Metropolitans 92 at the time, while Henderson was still on the roster of the Ignite. It’s worth mentioning that Miller and Henderson will also get a chance to play against each other, as the Hornets will play the Blazers on July 11th. Ultimately, it’s unclear just how much of these young stars we will get to see. As mentioned above, should they really turn it on, it’s highly likely their respective teams will pull them from the tournament in an effort to protect them ahead of their first seasons in the NBA. Nonetheless, any glimpse we can get of them will surely be worth it. The NBA Summer League will run from July 7th - 17th