Silver linings to the Victor Wembanyama injury
Yesterday at 09:00 AM
For Spurs fans looking for some good news in a tough time.
The news hit like a shotgun blast to the chest for San Antonio Spurs fans. Victor Wembanyama will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Just like that, a season filled with possibilities took a dark turn.
Now the Spurs are left scrambling. They are 3.5 games out of a Play-In spot, with Bismack Biyombo as the only active center on the roster. It's a bleak outlook for the rest of this season. Yet, things could be much, much worse.
First, all of the messaging around Wembanyama's injury indicates that he's missed a serious injury. According to the Spurs and reports from people close to the team, they caught Wembanyama's injury early in the process. It's still early, but all accounts seem to point to the 21-year-old avoiding a more serious injury. The reason he has to sit out for the rest of the season is the blood-thinning medication he will need to take in the recovery which will restrict his physical activity and ability to travel.
He's also not the first player to experience the injury. Brandon Ingram had a similar issue, missed 7 months starting in the 2018-19 season, and then came back with no repeat problems. Some have expressed concerns that Wembanyama could have some sort of underlying medical issue that causes repeat blood clots, like what forced Chris Bosh to retire, but again, the team has not expressed any concerns and stated this is an isolated incident. Time will tell, but there is a chance this is just a bump in the road for Wembanyama, and won't be a long-term nagging injury.
The team's Play-In chances are likely dead. Without Wembanyama the Spurs will rely on their new superstar De'Aaron Fox to keep them playing respectable basketball. Fox also has been dealing with a nagging finger injury that could potentially warrant surgery in the offseason. Now it may be prudent to move that surgery up and shut him down for the rest of the year.
As it stands, the Spurs have the 10th-best odds at the number one overall pick in the 2025 draft. They have a 13.9% chance of landing a top-4 pick. This draft has been called "loaded," but what that really means is there are about 4-5 players at the top of it that have high-level potential. Now may be the time for the Spurs to make a move toward getting a selection in that range. The Spurs are four games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers, who hold the 6th best odds in the draft and a 34.8% chance of landing in the top 4. Without Wembanyama and potentially Fox, San Antonio could get there.
It's a bummer to talk about tanking at a time like this, but the prize is worth the process. Cooper Flagg has been nothing short of spectacular at Duke. A core consisting of Fox, Stephon Castle, Flagg, and Wembanyama would instantly become the most exciting in the league. Flagg would make the Spurs a terrifying defensive unit and would be the perfect aggressive wing to play alongside Wemby and Fox. Even if they don't land the number one pick, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, and V.J. Edgecombe would be terrific additions to the Spurs. San Antonio is in the driver's seat to add yet another stud to their young core.
Ultimately, this may be a good experience for the likes of Castle, Jeremy Sochan, and Devin Vassell, who will need to step up and play key roles in Wembanyama's absence. That means more on-ball reps for Castle, who should have the advantage over his peers for Rookie of the Year. Sochan will likely get more playing time and has a chance to show off his versatility for a team that will need him to do a lot of different things. This will be a crucial time for the rest of the team to show they belong with the Spurs long-term.
There is no sugarcoating an awful bit of news. Wembanyama missing the rest of the season with an injury as scary as this one is a tough pill to swallow. However, San Antonio seems to have dodged a major bullet and still has the assets and infrastructure to recover from a blow like this. It was never about winning a championship this season. If Wembanyama is healthy and they can make good out of a bad situation, there is a real chance they'll still be in a good spot to compete for a title down the road.
