Rookie Roundup: Mavericks’ Dereck Lively Outduels Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama

The 2023-24 NBA season officially kicked off on Tuesday. But Wednesday's slate felt like the first real night, with 12 matchups spanning across the country.

The 2023 draft class, which was highly regarded coming in, got to see their first look at real, true NBA action. Here were some of the top rookie performances from the first loaded slate of the season:

Cason Wallace, OKC Thunder

13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 5-5 FG, 3-3 3P

Wallace was perfect in his debut with Oklahoma City. No, literally, he was perfect. The No. 10 overall pick shot 5-for-5 from the field, scoring 13 points and igniting the Thunder bench to help pull away from the Bulls for a 20-point win.

Best of all, he provided his patented off-ball defense, which should be replicable the rest of his career.

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block 6-9 FG, 3-5 3P

It wouldn’t be a rookie roundup without at least mentioning how the Spurs new 7-foot-4 French phenom fared in his initial NBA action.

Wembanyama’s length was on full display, but he had a hard time getting going early due to foul trouble. He came alive in the fourth quarter, though, pouring on nine points late. But it wouldn't be enough to overcome the Mavericks' own fourth-quarter surge.

Luckily, it seems he got most of the first-game jitters out in the first three quarters. It's only up from here from one of the best draftees in the last several decades.

Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks

16 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal, 7-8 FG

On the flip side of the coin was Lively, who put up what was likely the best rookie performance of the night.

Lively was phenomenal offensively in his debut, scoring an efficient 16 points while missing only one shot from the floor. He also tacked on 10 rebounds, earning a double-double in the process and helping the Mavericks to an opening-night win.

Lively didn't start the game for Dallas, which was alluded to mostly throughout preseason. But he was among the starting five in the second half, and played meaningful minutes in the final stretch, too.

Other performances:

Chet Holmgren, OKC Thunder: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4-7 FG, 2-3 3P

Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 5-9 FG, 3-7 3P

Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons: 4 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks, 1-7 FG, 1-2 3P

Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3-10 FG, 1-7 3P

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