Gregg Popovich praises Victor Wembanyama after his NBA debut / News - Basketnews.com

Gregg Popovich praised Victor Wembanyama for his maturity on the court and the way he dealt with the foul trouble.

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Even though the San Antonio Spurs lost their season opener against the Dallas Mavericks, head coach Gregg Popovich had nice things to say about his rookie Victor Wembanyama.

Player of the Game EFF 38 Luka Doncic Points 33 Accuracy 13-25 Rebounds 14 Assists 10

Wembanyama was dealing with foul trouble, committing 5 personal fouls in 16 minutes of play.

Nevertheless, Wemby finished the game with 15 points (2/4 2PT, 3/5 3PT, 0/1 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 5 turnovers in 23 minutes of action.

"I think he was great," Popovich told the reporters after the game. "One of the toughest things for the players [is] you get into foul trouble, and you never get in the rhythm. You're in and out of the game, that's sort of thing."

"I think his maturity showed even at a young age. He came in for the last 7 minutes, and [he] just played. We ran some stuff for him, he executed.

A lot of guys would be totally out of it by then because of the foul trouble and not getting into the rhythm. I think he had a wonderful outing, considering that," Popovich added.

Meanwhile, Wembanyama talked about the importance of keeping a positive mindset despite things not going as planned.

"It might be frustrating, but always keeping the head up is good for my teammates, so I can't show it on the court. We learn every day," Wembanyama said when asked about his foul trouble.

Victor Wembanyama debut highlights

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