3 Things that show the Spurs are back after Wembanyama's debut

The Spurs' Summer League winning streak continues! In the dog days of summer, sports are at a premium. Hoops fans will relish the chance to watch semi-professional basketball, and competition is competition. Nobody wants to lose, and Victor Wembanyama showed his drive to win versus the number two overall pick, Brandon Miller. The weight of the world is on this young man's shoulders, and he's carrying it with grace.

The teenage sensation's opening night was not perfect, and those who have been paying attention know he will be harder on himself than anyone else. Based on Twitter's trending topics, the number of people tuning in to watch Wemby's debut was massive. Whether they were watching to see if he would succeed or fail, they were watching. His impact was immediate, and if you look past the box score, it was obvious the Spurs made the right pick to signify their return to excellence.

Fans Fueled

The fans are gassed up to watch this young man lace up his sneakers and put on a show on the NBA stage. At 17,500 seats sold, the Las Vegas crowd was filled to capacity with rear-ends firmly planted in chairs, waiting for the spectacular with bated breath every time Wemby touched the ball. The crowd oohed and aahed at the skill display the number one overall pick flashed at different moments throughout the ball game.

Traditionally, the Spurs have been looked at as a ho-hum, boring team that does not draw a lot of intrigue from the rest of the NBA. Being overlooked is something San Antonio's faithful have grown accustomed to during the Tim Duncan era, despite the dominance exhibited year after year. That disregard has only increased over the last four years as the Silver and Black have struggled to compete at a high level. But if yesterday's crowd is any indication, their appeal has done a complete 180 and the hype train is full steam ahead.

Power Position Playmaking

The NBA goes through cycles with elite player types that come into the league and dominate. There has been an era of highly skilled shooting guards, dominant post big men, elite ball-handling point guards who can shoot the lights out and now uniquely skilled bigs. Players like Finals MVP Nikola Jokic come to mind, as well as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. What all three of those players have in common is being the leaders of championship-contending teams.

Victor Wembanyama fits into the same mold as those aforementioned players. It's no secret that the most versatile teams are the best ones in that they can threaten the opposition in multiple ways from multiple positions, making it nearly impossible to stop them. The Spurs have always been about making the extra pass and elevating each other. Wemby understands the responsibility of those expectations and the elite play-making he put on display last night at his size will raise the Spurs' ceiling tremendously.

Defense is, also, a part of that power position playmaking. Good defense often turns into good offense and a prime example of that was Wemby's block on Brandon Miller's three-point attempt. The play quickly turned into a Spurs fast break that did not result in points but those opportunities will often lead to conversions with full-time NBA players beside him. San Antonio's bread and butter has always been defense and the cupboard has been bare lately, but Wemby has arrived with a smorgasbord of blocks and the Spurs are about to eat.

Space and Spot Selection

As the most highly touted prospect since LeBron James, Wemby understands that it is also his job to put pressure on the defense by being aggressive. This was apparent in the first quarter as he attacked his defender with his footwork and impressive ball-handling skills. He missed a lot of his shots last night, only going 2-of-13, but what he showed was an understanding of how to use his body and length to get to his spots easily.

Once Wembanyama gets to line up next to the Spurs' NBA starters, he will have the benefit of their professional experience. Meaning they understand how to space the floor around each other and have a higher skill level that will force defenses to respect them. Iron sharpens iron and right now, Wemby is playing with and against some copper elements. The players will elevate each other and in turn, elevate the team. A combination of all of these impacts will result in the Spurs' return to elite status sooner rather than later.