Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama scores 9 points on 2-of-13 shooting in summer league

LAS VEGAS — The thousands who came out to watch Victor Wembanyama’s NBA Summer League debut walked away muttering to themselves about his skills as a ball screener.

In other words, what we saw from the No. 1 pick, the international sensation, in his first game in a San Antonio Spurs uniform was largely forgettable.

Wembanyama scuffled through much of his summer league lid-lifter, scoring nine points with eight rebounds and five blocks on 2-of-13 shooting in a 76-68 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Wembanyama, 19, of France, who starred this season for the Metropolitans 92 LNB Pro A’s, looked like he hadn’t played basketball in a while. He wasn’t included in the Spurs’ summer league games in California this week, and after weeks of the banquet circuit and celebrity that comes with not only being the presumptive top pick, but also a teenager with an enormous amount of expectations placed on him, his rust/lack of conditioning was apparent.

“I’ve had a couple practices with the roster guys… and yeah, this is pretty much all of the basketball I could do,” Wembanyama said. “I was working out by myself a couple of days before this. And yeah, it was a really special time for me because it’s between the end of my season and the draft, and then the summer league.

“I really need the rest that would come after, and this summer is gonna be amazing for my future.”

The Spurs’ next summer league game is Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers. No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson is on the Blazers, but he injured his shoulder in the third quarter of his debut on Friday and it remains to be seen if he’ll play.

Wembanyama was arguably outplayed by the No. 2 pick of the 2023 draft, Charlotte’s Brandon Miller, who didn’t exactly light it up either but was quicker and sharper with his 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Miller drained a 3-ball over Wembanyama in the fourth quarter in one of several possessions on which they were matched; fans who were still there collectively murmured.

A sold-out crowd at Thomas and Mack arena on the campus of UNLV had filed out of the upper deck and behind the baskets in the lower bowl well before the end of the game.

“It was a special moment, really, really special, to wear the jersey for the first time,” Wembanyama said.

The hype of Wembanyama’s debut rivaled that of Zion Williamson’s in 2019. Williamson didn’t quite live up to the hoopla in his Summer debut (or since), but at least there was an earthquake that night that shook the scoreboard and stopped the game. The only shaking in the building on this night was the rim, when Charlotte’s Kai Jones caught a lob and hammered it over Wembanyama in the third quarter.

Jokes about ball screens aside (they were largely his role in the Spurs’ offense after the first quarter), Wembanyama’s sheer size and presence on defense were what stood out. At 7-4, he not only blocked those five shots but also changed numerous others as a springy…