The Washington Wizards returned to action on Monday night against the new-look San Antonio Spurs looking to get back in the win column after a recent three-game winning streak was snapped by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.
Following the NBA trade deadline, it became even more clear that general manager Will Dawkins and first-year head coach Brian Keefe were dedicated to the development of their young roster as the season continues to unfold.
The Wizards offloaded veterans like Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valanciunas at the deadline and they brought in a number of new veteran presences, as well as a young face to add to the mix. Despite that, the focus remains on the team's young roster as minutes continue to be spread around evenly among the young group.
And on Monday, while the team was celebrating French Heritage night with Spurs' star Victor Wembanyama and Wizards' second-year man Bilal Coulibaly being the center of attention, another Washington youngest stole the show, at least for the Wizards.
Tristan Vukcevic has one of the best games of his young game in Monday's loss
Although the Wizards didn't come out on top against the Spurs, the team showed plenty of promise and there's no denying that the effort from Brian Keefe's squad was at an all-time high. Despite the effort, the duo of De'Aaron Fox and Wembanyama was too much to overcome.
Wembanyama loaded the stat sheet with 31 points, 15 rebounds 4 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals in the win. However, the French product wasn't the only foreign star to shine on Monday.
Tristan Vukcevic of the Wizards put together one of his best performances of his young NBA career against the Spurs in only 20 minutes of action for Washington. The former second-round pick finished the game with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, while shooting 70% from field goal range and 66.6% from beyond the arc.
The former No. 42 overall pick played only 10 games in his rookie season with the Wizards, and has only suited up for 13 games this season as he battled injuries in between each stint. However, when he has been on the court, the Italian product has shown flashes of being a more than viable option for the Wizards as they build towards the future.
Moving forward, the hope from the Wizards staff is that increased minutes for their young talent can lead to more performances like this from Vukcevic and other young players for Washington.