Victor Wembanyama is currently in the midst of what has been one of the most impressive rookie seasons in NBA history after being drafted number one overall by the San Antonio Spurs this past June. In the increased minutes that he's received since the All-Star break, Wembanyama has responded by stuffing the stat sheet on a seemingly nightly basis. This has helped the Spurs stay relatively competitive, although they still sit at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture.
In the Spurs' previous game against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, Wembanyama had one of his quieter performances of the season. Wemby ended up with just 13 points and five rebounds in a 131-106 blowout loss to the Suns. Now, the Spurs will get another crack at the Suns on Monday evening. However, the status of this year's potential Rookie of the Year is in doubt due to an ankle injury.
Victor Wembanyama injury status vs. Suns
Originally listed as questionable to play due to a left ankle sprain, the Spurs have officially ruled Wembanyama out for Monday night's rematch against the Suns. This will mark the ninth game of Wemby's career that he has missed, but he is still on pace to play in enough games and qualify for the Rookie of the Year award.
Wembanyama didn't look like himself during Saturday's loss to Phoenix, although it's unclear whether or not his ankle flared up during this game. The Spurs have been cautious with their young star throughout the 2023-24 season, giving him numerous days off to nurse his ankle injuries.
Although he was widely billed as perhaps the greatest prospect in NBA Draft history, few, if any pundits, could have predicted that Wembanyama would make such an immense impact on the game this early in his career. On a nightly basis, Wembanyama uses his size, strength, and unbelievable agility for someone of his height to leave opposing defenses at his mercy.
On the defensive end, Wembanyama uses his shocking wingspan and athleticism to deter many a shot around the rim for opponents, as well as disrupting and outright blocking perimeter jumpers as well. He also uses his mobility to stay in front of smaller guards on opposing teams.
Unfortunately, all of that excellence hasn't translated to many wins for San Antonio this year, as the Spurs currently reside last in the Western Conference and have already been eliminated from postseason contention. However, stacking wins is rarely the goal for a superstar in his rookie year, as generally those players join organizations that are in the midst of a rebuild. This was the case for the Spurs entering last year's NBA Draft lottery when they secured the first overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft.
One intriguing possibility is that the Spurs end up netting themselves the number one pick once again this year when the lottery standings are announced during the Conference Finals in May. While this year's draft is not viewed in the same historic light as last year's, the Spurs will still have a chance to potentially add another franchise building block to insert alongside Wembanyama.
As a result of the rookie star missing Monday night's game against the Suns, the Spurs will turn to Zach Collins an Sandro Mamukelashvili in their frontcourt for production against Suns' veteran Jusuf Nurkic.
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