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Victor Wembanyama appears to have cleared the first major hurdle as he rehabbed from an injury that ended his season. In making his way back from blood clots in his right shoulder, the San Antonio Spurs' generational talent looked at the first step with a sense of awe.
“Looking back, I'm really lucky,” the 7-foot-5 phenom said.
“I think it's all about perspective. All the attention I got from the incredible people here, incredible at their jobs and incredible persons too from my visits to the hospital and such. I think I got as good as a care as you can get as a patient,” Wemby added.
The 2023 top overall draft pick's season was cut short immediately after the All-Star game because of the concerning injuries. A fatal blow to a Spurs team that was fighting for a postseason berth, it was especially tough on Wembanyama.
He's since come to view it differently.
“This happened. But all of us in that room, all of us in the league we do with what we get. We do with what we're blessed with. I'm still in the one percent luckiest people, so I've got nothing to complain about. It's a really slight setback.”
Victor Wembanyama assesses team in looking forward
Given the opportunity to just observe, Wemby made some team notes as he rehabbed the right shoulder.
“I've seen some energy on the court and dedication that has grown throughout the season,” the Spurs leading scorer said as the year was coming to an end.
“At some point I even felt like, ‘Damn I wish we played like that when I was there because I'm willing to do what these guys they do; dirty work. They sacrifice for the team every single game.”
Without Wemby and De'Aaron Fox, who was lost for the season in mid-March with a surgery of his own, the Spurs won three straight games later that month and two of their last three of the year. He then invoked the team's sixth man, Keldon Johnson, as well as Blake Wesley, who was a first round draft choice in 2022 and has played sparingly since but came on down the stretch.
“Of course, we always think about the guys like K.J. or Blake, who are just machines and give a hundred percent of the time, but the whole team embraced that energy.”
The Spurs finished with a 34-48 record, which represented a 12-game improvement from Victor Wembanyama's rookie year. He raised his numbers as well, with career highs in points, rebounds, minutes and blocks, where he again led the NBA despite not having played the final two months of the season.
“I'm willing to show that I'm ready to do that too,” Wemby continued about the aforementioned ‘dirty work, ‘Because I'm willing to do the dirty work just as they do every night.”
The thought of Wembanyama eyeing facets of the game he previously hadn't focused on will probably instill fear in the minds of opponents. Or to put it another way – it's the opposite of what Wemby's feeling nowadays.
