The San Antonio Spurs have been without Victor Wembanyama for seven games, and there is no definitive timeline on when he might return.
The San Antonio Spurs have been without their best player, Victor Wembanyama, for seven games, going 5-2 during that stretch.
The Spurs have enjoyed a fairly easy Wemby-less schedule, although they do boast a quality win over the Denver Nuggets. With the NBA Cup knockout stage coming up and the schedule getting tougher, the Spurs could do with Wembanyama back, even if they have thrived without him so far.
Before he injured his calf, Wembanyama averaged 26.2 points, 3.6 blocks, and 12.9 rebounds. He was one of the frontrunners in the MVP race, a lock to win Defensive Player of the Year, and a candidate in the Most Improved voting.
The league's 65-game threshold has thrown a damp rag on those individual award hopes, although he could still return in time to hit that criteria, provided he remains healthy for the rest of the season.
The Spurs are yet to offer a concrete timeline for his return, and they are expected to exercise an extreme amount of caution, not willing to risk a worse injury or a setback.
San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald took to social media to guess that Wembanbyama won't be back for the December 10 showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Cup, but will be back long before the Spurs' Christmas Game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
If the Spurs beat the Lakers, they will play either the Thunder or the Suns in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas. San Antonio is 0-2 this season against the Suns, losing once with and once without Wembanyama.
They are yet to play the Thunder, although it stands to reason that the mighty OKC team will be heavy favorites, regardless of the Spurs' injury status.
The Spurs have managed to thrive without Wembanyama, although as the season goes on, their sustained success without their best player shouldn't be relied on.
Between Wembanyama, Jeremy Sochan, Kelly Olynyk, Luke Kornet, De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Jordan McLaughlin, and Stephon Castle, the Spurs have had more than their fair share of injuries in this young season. However, they have exercised an abundance of caution with all of those players, and there's little reason to think injuries will be an ongoing concern this season, especially once the current crop of hurt players returns.
It would be foolish to rush Wembanyama--or Castle--back, but there's no denying that the clock is ticking. Without him, they are a playoff team. With him, they could easily make a Conference Finals push.