A fan holds a photo of Victor Wembanyama during a draft party in San Antonio on Thursday. (Eric Gay, AP)
LAS VEGAS — There wasn’t a seat open in Thomas & Mack Center lower bowl five hours before the Warriors opened their Vegas portion of Summer League against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
But unlike the typical Vegas Summer League night, the Warriors and Lakers weren’t part of the headlining act.
Instead, it was French phenom Victor Wembanyama’s first taste of NBA action that stole the show — and even had the Warriors looking on more than usual before they took the floor.
About four hours before the Warriors fell 103-96 to the Lakers, Steve Kerr and several of his assistant coaches showed up early to catch a glimpse of Wembanyama, who didn’t live up to the expectations in his summer opener.
Wembanyama was about as graceful on the floor as a bull in a china shop in his first game, which was the most hyped Summer League debut since former top pick Zion Williamson in 2019. The San Antonio Spurs had run sets that gave the No. 1 pick plenty of open looks but he struggled to knock down shots and even missed his first five 3s before netting his sixth attempt from deep with 2:50 left in the fourth quarter.
Still, there was plenty of intrigue with his performance as fans roared for his every move — good and bad.
Wembanyama ended the night with nine points, eight rebounds and three assists while shooting 2-for-13 from the field. He also blocked five shots, including one of No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller’s 3-point attempts, in his 27 minutes of action.
After Wembanyama’s dull performance, the Warriors were looking to give fans something more to cheer about.
They got off to a great start, pushing the pace as they looked like a team that had been playing together longer than just two weeks out of the gates. That resulted in a 13-2 run over the opening 2:30 of Friday’s game, with Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos and Kendric Davis each knocking down 3s.
The Lakers called a timeout to regroup and Golden State’s energy gradually went out the door along with the fans that once filled the stands.
When the Spurs were playing, the noise in Thomas & Mack Center got so loud that it triggered several Apple Watch noise alerts. But in the final game of the night, it was so quiet that you could hear players’ conversations from 30 rows up.
The Lakers led by as many as 14 points midway through the fourth quarter. Golden State made a late push, trimming the Lakers’ lead down to six with less than a minute left, but that was the closest the Warriors would get.
Santos, a 2022 second-round pick, continues to have a solid Summer League and is making a case for one of the Warriors’ two-way deals. The 21-year-old led the Warriors with 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Meanwhile, Brandin Podziemski, playing in his third game in a Warriors uniform, scored nine points on 3 of 10 shooting. The No. 19 pick also picked up a team-tying-high 11 rebounds in 30 minutes.
The Warriors return to action Sunday when they play the New Orleans Pelicans at 7 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2.
Originally published at Madeline Kenney