3 Surprising takeaways from the Spurs in Wembanyama's Summer League finale

Despite a poor performance in his unofficial debut, Victor Wembanyama went off in his second game of Summer League action. Despite a dominant night from the Frenchman, the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, 95-90. Las Vegas is less about final scores and more about the process, so what did we learn from their latest primetime matchup?

The True Wembanyama Debut

The French phenom had a lackluster game in his Summer League debut last Friday. Despite that slow start, that performance clearly wasn't on his mind as Victor showcased all the enticing skills that were initially advertised. He scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting while adding 12 rebounds, three blocks, one steal, and only comitting a single foul.

Similar to his first game, Wembanyama's mere presence on the floor impacted how the Blazers approached the game. The Blazers had to second-guess themselves multiple times as a towering 7-foot-3 forward stood in their path. He altered shots and made players like Shaedon Sharpe bail out of drives. Regardless of how his offense looks on some nights, Wembanyama will always have an impact defensively as his length will make life difficult for opponents, even at the three-point line.

On the other end, Wemby had a much better outing. While he wasn't handing out impressive assists like the first game, he found his stride scoring the ball and getting to the line. The talented teen hit fadeaway mid-range jumpers and dominated around the rim with his height. He got to his spots and his shots found their mark.

The other thing that stood out was Wembanyama's ability to draw fouls. It shouldn't be a surprise that the lanky seven-footer drew fouls so easily inside the paint, and he also earned whistles on numerous shots away from the basket. He went 7-of-12 on his free throws against Portland, and the Spurs have desperately needed a player who can get to the line and slow down the pace of the game. Attracting this much defensive attention should make life easier for everyone around him.