Victor Wembanyama nearly gets triple-double in Spurs return

Victor Wembanyama (7’4″, 21 years old) returned to the court this Monday, October 6th for his first NBA preseason game with the San Antonio Spurs. Against the modest Chinese team Guangzhou Loong-Lions, the Frenchman reminded everyone why he was already considered one of the faces of the league.

In 16 minutes, the 2023 Draft’s first pick recorded 9 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks, nearly achieving a quick triple-double despite his six turnovers.

A controlled return after eight months away

Eight months after his last game, Victor Wembanyama made his return in a Spurs jersey in a relaxed but anticipated atmosphere. Against the Guangzhou team, reinforced by former NBA players like Victor Oladipo for the occasion, the young star showed he hadn’t lost any of his game sense or versatility. Very active from the first minutes, he quickly stacked up rebounds and passes, looking comfortable in a more creative role than usual.

« We don’t have the intensity of high-stakes games yet, but yes, it feels good. I feel like I’m in the right place, » he confided after the game, in comments transcribed by Eurosport.

The Frenchman also got to test his new chemistry with Luke Kornet (7’2″, 30 years old), who arrived in San Antonio this summer. Together, the two big men multiplied pick and roll combinations, often finished with a dunk or an alley-oop pass.

Luke Kornet in 13 minutes:

• 16 PTS (!!!), 4 REB, 6/6 FG pic.twitter.com/xVwjNATvcx

— Bala (@BalaPattySZN) October 7, 2025

Promising chemistry with Luke Kornet

« Luke is an excellent shot-blocker, and he’s also very good at setting screens on pick and roll. I can’t wait to spend many minutes on the court with him, » explained Wembanyama after the victory, relayed by L’Équipe.

The two giants — 7’4″ for the Frenchman, 7’1″ for the American — have already shown interesting chemistry, promising an intimidating duo on both ends of the floor. It remains to be seen how effective the pick and rolls between the two big men will be at high intensity, with Wemby having lost 6 balls, as shown in the following action:

Officially submitting this as one of my most intriguing plays of the season:

A Victor Wembanyama-Luke Kornet pick-and-roll pic.twitter.com/uiNEgKEHLH

— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) October 7, 2025

Collectively, the Spurs had no trouble, winning decisively 119-88. Julian Champagnie, Luke Kornet and Keldon Johnson finished as top scorers of the evening with 16 points each.

After this convincing debut, the Texas staff chose to limit their prodigy’s playing time, who ended the evening… with a weight training session. Wembanyama and the Spurs will continue their preparation Wednesday night against Miami, before the regular season opener against Dallas on October 22nd.