SAN ANTONIO — “Wemby” trended in Sports on the X social media platform Friday, while “Victor Wembanyama” did the same on the site’s “Trending in United States” tab, as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Miami Heat 120-104 in the rookie’s home exhibition debut.

The 19-year-old French phenom scored 23 points in 23 minutes on 10-for-15 shooting along with four assists, four rebounds and three blocks.

Finished for the night, Wembanyama then headed for the locker room with 4:37 left in the third quarter to start his postgame routine, high-fiving frenzied fans crowded near the exit tunnel.

“I called one play for him all night,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, “and I think he got over 20 [points]. He just did that because he’s a good basketball player and understands how to play. So, we have to make sure we blend that with everything else we have.”

Why it matters

Ravenous national interest in Wembanyama manifests itself locally, too, by way of 13,200 fans packing the newly renamed Frost Bank Center on Oct. 7 for a free admission open scrimmage, only to follow up Friday with 17,412 in the house for the No. 1 overall pick’s debut in front of the home crowd.

San Antonio experienced a 12.8% bump in attendance in 2022-23 from the previous year. But the club still ranked 24th in the NBA in attendance. If the crowd jammed inside Frost Bank Center on Friday serves as an indicator, expect another increase in fan presence for 2023-24, largely because of Wembanyama, who is considered the league’s most-anticipated prospect since LeBron James.

Equally as important, Wembanyama played the first time alongside new teammate and 2022 No. 9 overall pick Jeremy Sochan, who missed Monday’s preseason opener at Oklahoma City due to what the club called “general soreness.”

Normally a forward, the 6-foot-8 Sochan played point guard against the Heat. Wembanyama needs as much time as possible on the floor with his new squad, as the young Spurs look for ways to generate synergy with a player lauded as a generational talent.

The rookie still hasn’t played with third-year veteran Keldon Johnson, who last season led the Spurs in scoring. Johnson continues to nurse a sore hamstring that has kept him out of both of San Antonio’s exhibitions.

We got more than a glimpse of Wembanyama’s incredible versatility Friday night. Here are 3 takeaways from his home preseason debut:

1. Get ready for feats you’ve never seen

Hayward Highsmith could only laugh in the third quarter when Wembayama sent his shot flying out of play. Yes, even NBA players should expect to see something for the very first time every night they face the lanky rookie.

Nearly a foot inside the top of the key, Wembanyama took the first jab in initiating a Eurostep dunk in the second quarter in transition off a steal and assist from Sochan. With the rookie only one step inside the 3-point line, Tre Jones made the smart decision just before intermission to toss the lob in give-and-go action for a dunk.

Surprisingly, Jones mentioned he was trying to throw the ball out of the reach of Wembanyama’s defender, and the 19-year-old simply turned it into a lob dunk. Amazing. Did you see the left-handed dunk Wembanyama later threw down in traffic?

2. The Spurs are taking their time. You should, too

Listed as a power forward, Wembanyama saw limited action at the center spot against Miami. But Popovich and the Spurs haven’t decided exactly what position he’ll play this season. In fact, the coach isn’t even providing any guidance for the rookie on the offensive end.

The brass has basically unleashed Wembanyama offensively while providing most of its instruction on defense because that end of the floor forms the foundation for everything San Antonio does. Popovich wants to see how the top pick plays, his strengths and weaknesses, and how he fits around the rest of the squad before assigning a clearcut role for the rookie on offense.

3. Wembanyama is a fast study

Wembanyama’s first two preseason games looked quite a bit different from his uneven debut over the summer in the NBA 2K24 Summer League, and it’s because of the speed at which the rookie absorbs new information and coaching from the Spurs staff. Popovich called Wembanyama “a gifted player who was very humbly trying to find his place” on Friday, and that’s apparent in the strides he continues to make night after night.

Asked about his progress this preseason, Wembanyama told it like it is: “I could right away see the areas I can get better on tonight, and it’s promising.”

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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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