The Victor Wembanyama ripple effects

Devastating news from Shams Charania broke Thursday afternoon: Victor Wembanyama will be shut down for the season to recover from deep vein thrombosis (more specifically, a blood clot in his shoulder).

First, let’s hope that Wembanyama makes a quick and full recovery. It’s scary for a 21-year-old to get blood clots of any kind. Wemby has had a crazy schedule of late, including All-Star game festivities and two transatlantic flights to and from Paris (long flights put people at increased risk for DVT, something my wife reminds me of every time we step onto a plane). He had also been struggling going into the All-Star break, complaining of low energy. The clot seems like a likely culprit.

The medical staff caught the issue relatively early. The San Antonio Spurs hope Wembanyama can fully return to form in time for next season, pointing to Brandon Ingram (who had a similar issue in 2019) as a positive example.

The on-court ramifications are far less important, but you’re here for basketball talk, not unqualified medical analysis.

Wemby’s season will end at 46 games, rendering him ineligible for several postseason awards like All-NBA and DPOY. For what it’s worth, one of my unlikely-but-plausible preseason predictions was that Wemby would make the All-NBA First Team; given that he came in eighth in ESPN’s recent MVP straw poll, All-NBA of some sort seemed like a fait accompli.

The injury creates an even bigger void in the defensive landscape. Wembanyama was a virtual lock as Defensive Player of the Year, and he was objectively miles ahead of his nearest contender. Watch for top contenders to show out over the next few weeks. Jaren Jackson Jr., Rudy Gobert, Evan Mobley, and perhaps even some leading perimeter defenders like Dyson Daniels, Amen Thompson, or Kris Dunn (who has no chance in the real world, but I can pretend!) should be licking their chops.

Wemby’s absence could impact Rookie of the Year, too. Plenty of shots are now up for grabs. Stephon Castle had been on fire of late until last night’s 4-for-12 performance in a win over the Phoenix Suns, and he may be able to up his raw scoring numbers as the team shovels more responsibility onto his plate.

On both ends, Wembanyama was literally and metaphorically the center of everything San Antonio did. Offensively, new addition De’Aaron Fox will likely pick up much of the slack, but starting wing Devin Vassell may end up a big winner. As one of the few Spurs with a quality outside shot, he might absorb some of the drive-and-kicks that Fox had been directing Wembanyama’s way.

Deciding who fits best next to Fox becomes crucial for the Spurs. Fox is a very good player, but he has his flaws (most notably an inconsistent outside shot). His presence is one of next season’s few certainties, and players like Castle and Vassell must figure out how to complement him. Legendary, ancient point guard Chris Paul is a free agent after this year; the team has been starting him next to Fox, but they need to deprioritize his minutes and let the younger players develop chemistry with the new guy. Wins are no longer the goal.

Center is now a problem for San Antonio. The team traded away Zach Collins, so their only remaining full-time five is Charles Bassey, who has been out for a few weeks with a sprained MCL. Get ready to see a whole lot of longtime NBA vet Bismack Biyombo (whom I thought several teams should have snagged earlier in the year, including the Lakers). Recently signed to a 10-day contract, Biyombo garnered the starting nod and played 16 minutes last for the Spurs as they defeated the sad Phoenix Suns.

Shotless forward Jeremy Sochan may earn some more minutes as a small-ball center now, a role he excelled in offensively but struggled with defensively earlier in the year. His playing time had been waning of late, but he earned 28 minutes last night. He’s been an effective roll man as a center and has a chance to feast on dump-offs from Fox, who is far more effective penetrating the defensive shell and getting two feet into the paint than anyone else Sochan has played with:

There is no replacing Wembanyama. For the Spurs, the news may have a silver lining. They were already falling out of the play-in race. San Antonio has been roadkill when Wembanyama sits all season, and Fox’s presence is unlikely to change that. They can’t play the Phoenix Suns every night. Expect some big losing streaks coming up, which could bolster their chances of a top draft pick. The Spurs won’t be bad for long; this could be their last chance to get a blue-chip prospect.

However you want to spin it, this sucks! It sucks for Wembanyama, who was having a fantastic year. It sucks for Fox, who asked for a trade to San Antonio to team up with the superstar center. It sucks for Spurs fans, and it sucks for basketball fans in general! Wembanyama was one of my two favorite players to watch in the league, and now I can’t. I’m sad for him, and I’m sad for me.

When Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards was asked during All-Star weekend if he thought he was a top candidate to be the next face of the league, he responded, “Nah… that’s what they got Wemby for.” Hopes couldn’t be higher for the 21-year-old, but we’ll all have to wait at least eight months to see him on a court again. It already feels interminable.