NBA Daily: Ben Simmons’ emphatic return, Wemby takeover underway

The NBA world has blown up after teen freak Victor Wembanyama made an unexpected splash in his NBA debut.

Victor Wembanyama was solid in his first game for the Spurs. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The NBA season is back and basketball fans were treated to a monstrous day of action on Thursday with 12 games on the docket.

Despite several big name Aussies being in action, it was a rookie who attracted all the eyeballs on the second day of the season.

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Number one draft pick Victor Wembanyama showed the world how dangerous he can be during the pre-season.

Now it’s time for the real action with the San Antonio Spurs kicking off their season against the Dallas Mavericks.

Recap the biggest moments from the day’s action here.

Ben Simmons’ emphatic return to starting action

The Brooklyn Nets fell agonisingly short in their season opener, going down 114-113 to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There were positive signs for the Nets with Aussie superstar Ben Simmons showing he’s on track to return to his early career form.

Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets. Photo by Dustin Satloff / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA.

Simmons has endured a torrid time over the past few seasons as he battles mental demons along with multiple debilitating injuries.

In the Nets season opener he backed up his pre-season talk of getting back to his best with an all-around display.

While he’s never been a perennial scorer, Simmons’ defensive intensity and ability to find his teammates came to the floor.

The Aussie guard finished the contest just shy of a double-double with 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 points.

“Ben Simmons, you can feel his presence on the boards, on the pace, on the push,” analyst Sarah Kustok said on the YES Network.

“He hasn’t been able to convert around the basket on some of his takes but that explosiveness and what you want to see out of him is starting to show.”

His biggest highlight came halfway through the opening quarter as he rolled towards the rim where Mikal Bridges hit him with a perfect alley-oop pass.

BEN SIMMONS. 🔥

pic.twitter.com/gOGIy8mpg6

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 25, 2023

It was exactly what Brooklyn fans would have wanted to see after a more concerning sight earlier in the game, when Simmons passed up a layup to instead kick the ball out to Cam Thomas who missed.

It comes after teammate Spencer Dinwiddie heaped the pressure on the Aussie, saying he’s at the age where we should be seeing — and the Nets need — his best.

“Yeah, for sure. If you look at his age, he should be getting ready to start peaking now,” Dinwiddie said when asked if Simmons could recapture the form that made him a three-time All-Star.

“Then it comes down to health, and you look at who he’s been historically. We need him to be an All-NBA, All-Defensive Team, All-Star-level guy for us to be good. We can’t make any guarantees, but that’s what we need to be a good team.”

‘What the hell’: Wembanyama’s wild debut

NBA freak Victor Wembanyama has made a surprise start to his NBA career as San Anthonio started with a bang against Dallas on Thursday.

Victor Wembanyama's FIRST regular season bucket 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cdTWTBiD7d

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 26, 2023

This year’s number one draft pick, hit the ground running, knocking down two three-pointers in the first quarter.

While the Frenchman is expected to dominate the paint with his immense size, Wembanyama did his most damage from beyond the arc.

It’s fair to say the league was blown away.

Wemby just blocked a Kyrie elbow pullup and Kyrie looked around like "What the hell just happened?"

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 26, 2023

I hope Victor Wembanyama stays healthy because he’s going to be one of the most unique players that the league has ever seen.

— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) October 26, 2023

How is Victor Wembanyama a real person? This mfs wing span is the length of a Ford F-150

— KYLE (@YourFriendKyle_) October 26, 2023

Victor Wembanyama being 7’4 and able to shoot the 3 is absolutely unfair 😂😂😂

How are you supposed to guard him???!

— Sekou Tyler (@sqlsekou) October 26, 2023

Wembanyama is officially a problem for the rest of the league

— Paul Henning (@brewcitypaul) October 26, 2023

Wembanyama also put up two rebounds, one assist and one block as San Antonio led 43-36 at quarter time.

The 7ft 3in freak earlier this month brought the Frost Bank Center crowd to their feet with a furious dunk in a 23-point performance against Miami.

He drained a three-pointer in the dying stages but it wasn’t enough as Dallas closed out a 126-119 win.

Wembanyama finished with 15 points, five rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes of game time.

OKC Thunder make bright start

Josh Giddey’s OKC Thunder are tipped to be the big improvers this season and they made a solid start, defeating the Chicago Bulls 124-104 in their season opener.

Giddey had 16 points, six rebouds and six assists — one of six OKC players to score double figures as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game high 31 points.