Victor Wembanyama’s Shrinking Minutes Set To Provide Positive Impact as per NBA Insider

The Spurs’ rookie Victor Wembanyama was placed on a minutes restriction after he sat out the team’s first meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks on December 19 due to a right ankle soreness. Following his return to the lineup, he flared up the ankle injury after stepping on a ball boy’s foot while warming up in Dallas. Therefore, the Spurs capped his minutes at around 24, even sitting him out during back-to-back situations.

However, according to Shams Charania, the injury is not a cause for concern since the minutes restriction here only indicates that the Spurs are taking a “cautious approach.” Since the Spurs are in a phase of rebuilding rather than contending for the playoffs or attaining a high seed, this situation serves a dual purpose efficiently. They can rest their star player while also using this opportunity to observe the players they want to move forward with while building around Wemby and Devin Vassell.

The rookie has been a shining beacon of light for a struggling Spurs team that hasn’t made it to the playoffs for four consecutive seasons. Despite having Wemby in the lineup, the Spurs are still rooted at the bottom, with only five wins this season in the 33 games they have played so far. This serves as an important reminder that one star will not be enough for the Spurs to claw their way back into playoff contention; they will need to surround Wemby with adequate support to maximize his impact on the team.

While the minute restriction is designed to protect his right ankle, it is frustrating for Wemby to not be able to help his team as they endure one loss after another. Therefore, on Tuesday night, the French prodigy took matters into his own hands.

Wemby takes matters into his own hands

Wemby had not played more than 24 minutes since sustaining the ankle injury. However, during the team’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, he knew he had to do something. After coach Gregg Popovich subbed him with 3:07 left in the game, he ignored the coach’s decision to re-check himself in with 1:46 left in the game. He then scored a dunk with 1:13 left on the clock before the coach pulled him out again. Even on limited minutes, the rookie finished the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, and one assist.

Read More: Dwight Howard Comes to Victor Wembanyama’s Aid After Ja Morant Takes Flight

However, he is inching closer to returning to playing full minutes. “I am told [Victor Wembanyama’s] ankle is improving, it seems like he’s on the tail end of this program that they have him on,” Charania reported.

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