The San Antonio Spurs are the hottest team in the NBA, and they've found success even with Victor Wembanyama coming off the bench.
The San Antonio Spurs know the saying. "Don't mess with a good thing."
They have no plans to.
Winners of six games in a row, the Spurs are currently the hottest team in the NBA. After missing 12 games with a calf injury, Victor Wembanyama is back in the lineup, averaging 19.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in the last four games.
Considering that he's come off the bench in all four of those contests, it's safe to say that he's the most dominant Sixth Man of all time. Sorry, Manu!
Wembanyama has made it known that he wants to play as many minutes as possible, although it's very hard to justify giving him extended run. In those four games, he is yet to register more than 21 minutes, and the Spurs aren't worse off for it. His impact when he's on the floor is apparent, although his utter dominance limits the Spurs' need for him to play for extra time.
In terms of injury management, it's the perfect solution, and as long as the Spurs keep winning, there's really no reason to mess with the current setup.
"[Wemby coming off the bench] is going to be the plan until it’s not," said Mitch Johnson. "The season's long and grueling, so it's not like day five of this or day whatever of that. It's a treacherous schedule, and so we have to continue to take it day by day."
The Spurs will play the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 23rd and Christmas, and the league would prefer Wembanyama and Shai Gilgheous-Alexander to share the floor for as long as possible. Of course, the NBA is still clinging to the Wembanyama/Chet Holmgren rivalry, even as Wemby tells them to tone it down. From a marketing perspective, Wembanyama coming off the bench isn't the best solution.
The Spurs have never really cared about marketability. They care about winning games and championships, so if Wembanyama comes off the bench through the New Year but the Spurs continue to rise up the standings, so be it.
While Wemby might protest his limited usage, he has also harped for years about winning and team success. As long as the Spurs are easily winning games, there';s not much more fans, Wembanyama, or the front office could ask for.
Of course, as the schedule heats up, the Spurs might need to ask more from their best player. For now, at least, they're in a great spot.