Early in the afternoon on Feb. 20, the San Antonio Spurs announced that their superstar center, Victor Wembanyama, will be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a blood clot in his right shoulder. 

Wembanyama was averaging 24.3 points per game, 11 rebounds per game, and had a tremendous league lead in blocks per game with 3.8, which is the highest that the league has seen since Mark Eaton in 1988-89 

In only his second year, Wembanyama was a shoo-in for Defensive Player of the Year, but the injury will destroy his hopes as he will not meet the 65-game minimum required for the award. 

The Spurs have improved since last year, although not by much. At the time of Wembanyama’s injury announcement, San Antonio was 12^th in the West at 23-29 with 30 games still to go in the season. They still had time to make a run for the Play-In tournament, but that road becomes much more difficult without Wembanyama. The Spurs still have a potential Rookie of the Year in Stephon Castle, as well as veteran Chris Paul and the newly acquired De’Aaron Fox. Their guard play is solid, but the absence of Wembanyama will leave a glaring hole in the paint.  

For the rest of the league, teams can rest easy knowing the seven-foot-four freak athlete will not torture their offense. Wembanyama creates issues on fast breaks, pick-and-rolls and most importantly, in the paint. His absence should open lanes for opposing offenses, and the Spurs’ defensive numbers should dip down.  

For fans, the announcement is concerning. The last thing that anyone would want in this situation is for Wembanyama to be considered a “what-if.” He was the #1 overall pick in the 2023 draft for a reason – amazing mobility for his size, stellar shooting skills and a ceiling as high as the Burj Khalifa. His injury may give some fans flashbacks to Derrick Rose, the youngest MVP in NBA history. Another concern is the type of injury – blood clots forced Chris Bosh to retire when they crept into his lungs. Although the clotting for Wembanyama is only in his shoulder, there is still a chance that the issue that haunted Bosh could affect Wembanyama. 

Once LeBron James retires, Wembanyama will likely become the true face of the NBA. As long as his issue is treated correctly, he will stay on that track. For the Spurs, the next-man-up mentality will be put into place for their home stretch of the season. For the rest of the league, offense against San Antonio becomes significantly easier.  

San Antonio’s medical staff, as well as anyone who helps Wembanyama in the coming months, will have a huge task – keeping one of the greatest talents in NBA history healthy. 

Featured image via @wemby on X