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The Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas was filled to the rafters in anticipation of Victor Wembanyama’s battle against Brandon Miller on July 8. Basketball analysts, executives and even casual fans wanted to see how the top two picks of the 2023 NBA Draft would fare against each other.
Paul George, in his podcast, asked Miller to define the San Antonio Spurs rookie. Miller responded with this:
“Every ball screen they kept switching with big men. So [I] couldn't really explain what this is. I think it's big to big switch but Victor's of course not a big. He's like an animal, ain't no position for him. It was weird.”
In Victor Wembanyama’s summer league debut, he was the nominal center but it was forward Dominick Barlow who manned the middle. “Wemby” spent the initial minutes of the game matched up against Brandon Miller out in the perimeter.
When the two rookies went against each other, the arena instantly buzzed with excitement. Wembanyama’s first attempt in the game was an open dunk against Miller, which the 7-foot-3 big man weirdly missed.
In another play, Brandon Miller was able to hold his own against Victor Wembanyama when the Frenchman tried to score against him in the post.
On the other end, Miller tried to cross over Wembanyama before attempting a drive. “Wemby” nearly fell and was called for a foul. Miller was also somewhat surprised when his 27-foot three-pointer was blocked by Wembanyama who stood more than a yard from him.
Brandon Miller showed that he wasn’t afraid of the limelight against Victor Wembanyama
Brandon Miller’s first summer league game was against the San Antonio Spurs in Salt Lake City. The Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama.
Miller’s debut was met with an avalanche of criticism. Many felt that Michael Jordan made the wrong decision to draft him ahead of Scoot Henderson who went to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The former Alabama star played 31 minutes and finished with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal. He also committed seven fouls and six turnovers.
In Victor Wembanyama’s debut and the rematch against the San Antonio Spurs, Miller had a much better showing. Charlotte’s rookie played 31 minutes again and ended with 16 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block. He only had five fouls and two turnovers.
More than the numbers, the game showed that Miller wasn’t scared of the pressure and the bright lights.
