Victor Wembanyama Makes Highly Anticipated NBA Debut: 5 Things We Learned

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama made his highly anticipated NBA debut on Wednesday, as the Spurs fell to the Dallas Mavericks 126-119.

Wembanyama struggled with foul trouble early, but he got into a rhythm late as the Spurs tried to close the gap against the Mavericks. He finished with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, a block and five turnovers.

Here are five things we learned.

Wembanyama Is An International Sensation

Wembanyama, who grew up in France, has long been on the NBA's radar and is widely considered the league's best prospect since LeBron James appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a junior in high school.

That's a lot of pressure for a young player, but Wembanyama has been preparing for this for a long time. He started playing professional basketball at age 15 and was tabbed by ESPN's draft experts as a player to watch at age 16.

So perhaps it should come as little surprise that with more than 200 credentialed media members and a rabid crowd present for his NBA debut, Wembanyama was relatively unfazed.

"Doesn't change anything for me," Wembanyama said. "Of course, I want to give the best show to the fans, especially here in San Antonio and in France, but it's still my job. I still have responsibilities towards my coach and my teammates, so really, it's not what matters."

The Spurs Arena Was Packed (and Electric)

San Antonio only has one professional sports team in the four major sports leagues, and for years with Tim Duncan at the helm, the city embraced its perennial contender.

With the Wembanyama hype at a fever pitch, tickets went for as much as $8,000 apiece courtside, and the newly named Frost Bank Center was packed at tip-off.

Spurs fans got a fun show, despite the loss. In addition to Wembanyama, the Spurs got 23 points from guard Devin Vassell and 17 from Keldon Johnson, in addition to 16 from Tre Jones off the bench.

Wembanyama Makes Difficult Things Look Easy

Basketball is a difficult sport, but it's a lot easier for an athletic 7-foot-4 young man with an eight-foot wingspan than it is for someone with a more normal build. Wembanyama makes difficult basketball tasks look simple.

Like this dunk in warm-ups where Wembanyama effortlessly got his head level with the rim.

Or this self-thrown alley-oop windmill dunk, where Wembanyama's feet were almost on the ground again by the time he actually put the ball in the hoop.

Or this block against crafty Mavericks star Kyrie Irving, where Wembanyama started several feet away and closed the gap to swat Irving's pull-up jumper almost instantaneously.

It might take the NBA a while to figure out how to deal with a player like Wembanyama. Even in a league full of players who are uniquely physically gifted, the 19-year-old stands out.

Wembanyama Will Have Some Growing Pains

Wembanyama is talented and physically gifted, but his competition is now the best players in the world, and that showed at times on Wednesday. His early foul trouble limited his minutes, and facing the likes of Irving and Luka Doncic in a debut is a tall task, even for a teenager as tall as Wembanyama.

"Sometimes, they are going to make a basket even though you play good defense, and you've just got to pick up the ball and go back on offense and make everything you can to disturb these players," Wembanyama said. "Some guys are harder to stop than others. The games are long, so it's all about making them as much as possible make mistakes."

In his post-game interview with ESPN, Doncic said on live TV that rookie Derrick Lively II was "f---ing awesome" as he scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against Wembanyama.

The Mavericks said they enjoyed the atmosphere.

"He's probably one of the best prospects to enter the NBA," Doncic said. "It was fun. For me, personally, I like challenges, so that was a fun challenge."

Wembanyama Joined Elite Spurs Company

Victor Wembanyama in his Spurs debut: 15 points, two assists, 6-for-9 shooting.

Tim Duncan in his Spurs debut: 15 points, two assists, 6-for-9 shooting.

Not a bad start. Just five championships, three Finals MVPs, 15 All-Star appearances and 15 All-NBA selections to go for the 19-year-old.

No pressure.