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Andrew Lopez, ESPN
SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama‘s new city got an up close and personal look at the new rookie Saturday.
In front of 13,200 fans at the newly renamed Frost Bank Center, Wembanyama and the rest of the San Antonio Spurs took the court for an open scrimmage. It was the first time the No. 1 overall pick took the court in front of his team’s fans.
“It really warmed my heart to see that every time a player of our team stepped on the court, they almost had a standing ovation,” Wembanyama said after the scrimmage. “It’s all I expected but it still feels good.”
The Spurs split the roster into eight-man teams — Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson and Khem Birch sat out the scrimmage — while the game was divided into four 10-minute quarters with a running clock. Wembanyama, who is listed on the team’s roster as a forward, played all of his minutes with centers Zach Collins or Charles Bediako on the floor with him.
On one of his first plays of the game, Wembanyama connected on a no-look pass with Collins.
“I think the best players can be the one who makes his teammates better,” Wembanyama said. “So this is someone I want to get close to. You can’t win by just yourself.”
Wembanyama scored nine points in the scrimmage, a 74-65 win by the opposing Silver squad. He hit a step-back 3-pointer, caught an alley-oop from Devonte Graham and went 4-of-6 from the free throw line.
Graham was on the receiving end of perhaps Wembanyama’s flashiest play of the night, when the rookie went behind the back with the ball into a spin move on the left side of the court before whipping a pass to Graham in the opposite corner for a wide-open shot.
“That’s just knowing the game,” Collins said of Wembanyama’s passing skills. “Him being a natural at it, that’s just his feel. Especially being that young in the NBA and making those passes. He’s a willing passer. That’s half the battle, being willing to make those passes. And he wants to pass. It’s fun to play with.”
Collins said he hasn’t shared much time on the court with Wembanyama in training camp — although they did get some run together during pickup games last month — but it’s something he’s looking forward to.
“It’s a lot of fun. He’s so versatile,” Collins said. “I’m not just an inside guy. I can shoot too. So it’s just a back-and-forth.”
Collins said that because of his ability to hit the outside shot, Wembanyama and he can take turns on the inside in the offense, making the power forward and center spots interchangeable at times.
“It’s a pick-your-poison type thing,” Collins said. “So hopefully we can get that chemistry going. I think we have the skill sets, now it’s just about knowing where the other guy’s going to be at all times. … Hopefully this preseason we can work out the kinks a little bit and be ready to go opening night.”
The Spurs open the preseason Monday night in Oklahoma City.