The San Antonio Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama during their 124-120 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Wembanyama continues to be on a workload restriction, and with it being a back-to-back set for the Spurs, they basically had to choose whether the 20-year old Frenchman would sit against the Hornets or the Washington Wizards.

Wembanyama continues to contend that he feels fine, and that he could handle heavier minutes in the aftermath of the ankle injury he sustained in pregame warmups on December 23 against the Dallas Mavericks. But the Spurs continue to handle him with kid gloves, keeping him out of back-to-backs and limiting him to around 22 to 27 minutes of play, because of a medical mandate, as per head coach Gregg Popovich.

“It’s not rest. It’s doctor’s orders. He’s got a minutes restriction and he’s not allowed to play back-to-backs. It will probably change very soon, but for now we still have to abide by that restriction,” Popovich said in the aftermath of the Spurs' loss to the Hornets, per Jeff McDonald of San Antonio Express-News.

Given how important Victor Wembanyama is to the Spurs franchise, them erring on the side of caution when it comes to his physical well-being is the shrewd move. After all, lower-body problems can be recurring pain points for big men of Wembanyama's size, and there's no reason for the Spurs to risk his health in the early goings of his career.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Why Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t think Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama will be dominant
DeMar DeRozan reveals secret video session by Gregg Popovich
Kings’ DeMar DeRozan reveals what Spurs’ Gregg Popovich taught him
Patrick Beverley unleashes bold Victor Wembanyama claim

Nonetheless, these conditions will be frustrating for Wembanyama and the Spurs until doctors give the green light that the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft can resume his pre-ankle injury workload. After all, even in limited minutes as of late, Wembanyama is staking his claim as the best rookie in the association.

Despite averaging just 24.2 minutes per game since December 21, Wembanyama has achieved new heights on the hardwood. Since the aforementioned date, the Spurs rookie is averaging 21.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 3.5 blocks per game across 11 games. He is arguably the best per-minute monster in the association, and the Spurs have been 6.8 points better per 100 possessions with him on the court.