Undoubtedly, Victor Wembanyama has been on a tear, and the San Antonio Spurs are the second-best team in the West. However, as great as Wemby is, he is only human.
On Tuesday, he appeared on the NBA Injury Report right before the Spurs take on the defending champion OKC Thunder. Wemby was listed as questionable due to a left calf injury.
In mid-November, Wemby was out with a calf injury, missing 12 games. Ultimately, he returned for the NBC Cup tournament, in which the Spurs lost to the New York Knicks in the final.
The Spurs are coming in against the Thunder with a 21-7 record. Meanwhile, the Thunder have the best record in the NBA at 26-3. Also, Wemby is averaging 24.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per game and has played in 16 games total.
Last season, he averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and played in 46 total games.
Interestingly enough, San Antonio has been relatively successful even without Wemby in the lineup. In the games he has missed, they went 9-3. When he is not present, the Spurs can move the ball more fluidly, creating more opportunities for others. At the same time, San Antonio has a lot of depth with the likes of De'Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell.
The Spurs' defense lags without Wemby in the lineup.
The one primary deficit where the Spurs struggle without Wemby is defense. According to StateMuse, San Antonio has a defensive rating of 110 without Wemby in the lineup and 117 with him.
In previous years, that discrepancy has been apparent. During the 2023/2024 season, the Spurs went from having a defensive rating of 129.4 without Wemby to 110.9 with him. While they have other offensive assets on the floor, the obvious strengths Wemby brings on defense are vital to San Antonio's success.
Just him being on the floor changes everything from that end.
