Victor Wembanyama put the NBA on notice after dropping 40 points in the San Antonio Spurs' season opener against the Dallas Mavericks. Wembanyama showed no signs of rust in his first game since February. He reflected on the work he put in this offseason to improve his health, body and game. Speaking to ESPN's Jorge Sedano after the Spurs' 125-92 road win over the Mavericks, Wembanyama discussed the hard work he went through to be in his current position. He was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, so he went through a lot before getting cleared to play again. "This is what we work for," Wembanyama said. "All of us got our own battles and struggles. God knows I've worked f*cking hard this summer. It's paying off. I'm just glad to be back."Victor Wembanyama had an eventful summer, starting off in China by visiting a Shaolin temple and working with monks. Wembanyama also traveled to Japan and held his own chess tournament. He went to Houston to visit NASA's Johnson Space Center. On the court, Wemby worked out with a couple of legendary players in Kevin Garnett and Hakeem Olajuwon. Garnett provided a lot of mental insights to the game, while Olajuwon taught him about footwork and defense. It looked like all of these things paid off, especially after his performance on Wednesday night. Wembanyama had 40 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks on 15-for-21 shooting. He looked dominant attacking the rim, taking just two 3-point shots. Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and the rest of Dallas' big men had no chance of stopping "The Alien." Davis had 22 points on 22 shots, while Lively only took two shots and was in foul trouble for the majority of the game. 'Inside the NBA' crew impressed with Victor Wembanyama'Inside the NBA' crew impressed with Victor Wembanyama. (Photo: IMAGN)On their ESPN debut, the "Inside the NBA" crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal were very impressed with Victor Wembanyama. Barkley and Smith even teased O'Neal that Wembanyama would have scored a lot of points on him. When Johnson asked the crew to describe Wemby's performance, Smith said "championship" and "MVP-like." Barkley didn't reveal his answer, while Shaq called it "dominant' and Johnson said it was "frightening." Barkley took a shot and gave a compliment at the same time by describing it as "Shaq-like."The Spurs are back in action Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.