Victor Wembanyama entered the league lauded as the most hyped prospect since LeBron James was drafted in 2003. The Frenchman has not only met those lofty expectations but has exceeded them. However, due to his tall stature and lean frame, he is extremely injury-prone. Wembanyama has already faced two setbacks, posing a concern for the San Antonio Spurs, who aim to rebuild around his talent. Initially sidelined due to ankle soreness during the team’s first encounter with the Milwaukee Bucks, he later aggravated the injury by accidentally stepping on a ball boy’s foot while warming up in Dallas. Consequently, the Spurs capped his playing time at 24 minutes, even deciding to sideline him in back-to-back situations.

While adopting a cautious approach with Wemby’s injury appears sensible for the Spurs, his minutes in the rookie season have left some bewildered, especially when comparing them to James’ minutes during his rookie year.

Rookie showdown: LeBron James vs. Victor Wembanyama

In a recent episode of Hard in the Paint, the hosts spoke about Wembayama’s minutes restriction. According to them, putting any rookie player on a minutes restriction is “crazy,” especially the most hyped-up one. Through 30 games this season, the rookie unicorn is averaging 29.3 minutes per game and has already missed four games. To put things in perspective, LeBron James was logging in 39 minutes per game during his rookie year and played in 79 games his first season. “What the f**k is going on?” remarked host Justin Bobby.

Despite playing fewer minutes than rookie LeBron James, the Spurs rookie has still managed to outscore the King. James mustered up solid averages of 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.8 rebounds in his first 30 career games. Wemby, despite logging in 10 minutes less than rookie James every game, is maintaining an impressive average of 19.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. But can this minutes restriction potentially hamper the rookie’s performance?

Is minutes restriction detrimental to Wemby’s growth?

According to Bobby, limited playing time won’t do Wemby any favors since he won’t learn if he is sitting on the bench. While he may have a point, it is also important to consider that Wemby has sustained an injury and if the Spurs want him around for a long time, they need him to recover fully to avoid any further complications. For a Spurs team that is not competing for a playoff spot or a high seed, they have the leisure to let Wemby recover at his own pace without rushing him. As for his performance, his stats have only improved since he was placed on minutes restriction. The 20-year-old prodigy has averaged 22.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks through his last five games.

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This, according to Shams Charania, is also a great opportunity for the Spurs to observe other players they’d like to move forward with as they rebuild the organization around Wemby and Devin Wassell by giving them more playing time in his absence. However, his ankle is improving, and he’ll be back to playing full minutes once his ankle is re-examined.

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