On Christmas Day the Spurs face a dominant Oklahoma City Thunder squad they have defeated twice in the past two weeks. Does San Antonio need to bump up its timeline?
The San Antonio Spurs are being overly cautious with Victor Wembanyama, who’s returning from a calf strain, but that has not hindered their upward trajectory.
Over the past five games (not including the loss in the NBA Cup Final), the Spurs have kept the Frenchman to 20.8 minutes per game as the franchise has gone undefeated.
Overall, the team has won seven consecutive games not including the NBA Cup Finals, and on Christmas Day it faces a dominant Oklahoma City Thunder squad the Spurs have defeated twice in the past two weeks.
But what’s the ceiling for Wembanyama? And what does that mean for the Spurs and the rest of the league?
Let’s break it all down.
Victor Wembanyama is dominating in his limited playing time
He’s averaging 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and two blocks per contest.
Those are near All-Star numbers, all while playing under 21 minutes per game.
The 21-year-old is slowly becoming one of the league's best rebounders, on top of already being the league's best defender.
He's grabbing 13.9 boards per 36 minutes, and is at 11.8 per game for the season, while playing 30.6 minutes.
These aren't just gimmes, either. The 7-foot-5 center is outworking opponents, gathering inside position, reading angles on how the ball pops off the rim and positioning himself to optimize his own chances of grabbing the ball.
It's another step in what has been a ridiculous evolution as he's becoming the league's most dominant two-way force.
Wembanyama is winning, too. Including the NBA Cup Finals loss, he's lost just five total games this season, while helming the Spurs to 13 wins in the regular season.
Fortunately, the organization won when he was sidelined too, going 9-3 in the 12 games he missed, in large part due to the play of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes.
The Spurs are currently second in the Western Conference, only behind the Thunder.
What's next for Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs?
Given the success they've had this season, and given the fact that Wembanyama will be extension-eligible after this season, it's becoming increasingly clear the Spurs must consider making a move sooner than later.
When Wembanyama's inevitable extension triggers in 2027-28, that's going to take up, presumably, 30% of the salary cap if he qualifies for the Derrick Rose Rule.
That means San Antonio is working with a very set window, to the point where you might be inclined to say they have a deadline of July 1, 2027.
With the organization still in possession of numerous draft selections, a plethora of young players, and even expiring contracts, the Spurs have virtually everything to make a push for another star.
They seem set at guard, with Fox, Castle and rookie Dylan Harper all playing well.
They're somewhat short on the wing and could use a genuine 3&D threat who is on the right side of 6-8 and can play both forward spots.
There's also the question of whether it makes sense to upgrade the two-guard spot.
(While Devin Vassell has played fairly well, it's fair to ask questions about his long-term fit and role with the franchise, especially considering he's earning almost $27 million per season.)
This isn't to say the Spurs should in any way panic and make a move just for the hell of it. That'd be poor judgment, and it'd be poor process.
However, they must be aware of the timeline, and that means taking call, as well as placing them, in an effort to find the right recipe of players to put alongside Wembanyama for the years to come.
Category: General Sports
