Spurs' Victor Wembanyama bounces back with 27-point performance in second Summer League game

The No. 1 overall pick put up great numbers after struggling in his Summer League debut

No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama had a bounce-back game Sunday evening with a 27-point, 12-rebound and three-block performance in his second Summer League contest. It was a far better performance from the French phenom, who struggled mightily in his Summer League debut. 

Wembanyama knocked down mid-range jumpers, corralled offense boards for putback dunks and asserted his dominance on the defensive end. However, despite the standout performance from Wembanyama, it wasn't enough for the San Antonio Spurs to pull out a win against the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland, behind Michael Devoe's 29 points, beat Wemby and the Spurs 85-80.

"I wish we could have won the game," Wembanyama said after the loss. "I think I could have done more to help my team win the game. We got to keep learning. We haven't been playing our best for like three quarters. Then in the fourth quarter, we were really dominating. It shows the personality of the team."

The Spurs trailed by as much as 19 points and never once held a lead in the game, but Wembanyama did his best to keep things close in the fourth quarter. Ten of Wembanyama's 27 points came in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer to cut the lead to just one point with just under two minutes left to play. But San Antonio could never break through to take the lead, leading to the team's second-straight loss in Summer League. 

Despite the loss, though, it was clear that whatever nerves Wembanyama had in his first game went away with his second performance. In his Summer League debut, the 7-footer went 2-of-13 from the floor and looked flustered at times as a sold out arena piled in to watch the French prodigy. While it took until the second quarter of Sunday night's game for Wembanyama to get going, once his shots started to fall he looked every bit of the real deal.

The Spurs' next game will be Tuesday against the Washington Wizards, but we'll have to see if Wembanyama suits up as San Antonio tries not to overwork him.

"I know I got to talk with Pop," Wembanyama said. "I'm going to listen to what he's going to say, but I'm ready to make any sacrifice for the team and give 100%."

With Wembanyama not playing in the FIBA World Cup for France, he'll have a solid chunk of time to prepare for the 2023-24 NBA season. If Sunday night's game was the last for Webanyama at Summer League, then he just gave us a pretty good glimpse of what to expect from him in his rookie season.