Coming out of the All-Star break, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs seemed like a prime candidate for a second-half push. Following the De'Aaron Fox acquisition at the trade deadline and a young team coming into its own, they seemed at least well in the mix to cover ground and get into the Play-In spots.
Maybe the Spurs still accomplish that, but they'll have to do it without their resident alien in the frontcourt.
On Thursday, Shams Charania of ESPN dropped a bombshell in reporting that Wembanyama will miss the rest of the 2024-25 season with "deep vein thrombosis" in his shoulder, the right one specifically.
San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss reminder of the season with a deep vein thrombosis in right shoulder.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2025
The ailment is a bit worrisome as some cases have been able to be recovered from in two or three months but we've also seen someone like Pistons young star Ausar Thompson require about eight months to return to action for a similar deal. That uncertainty is truly difficult for any team, player and fanbase to consider.
At the same time, the Spurs are only 3.5 games out of a Play-In spot in the immediate and will still try to compete for one of those postseason places. The lineup is going to look substantially different without the young French superstar on the floor, though.
Projected Spurs starting lineup with Victor Wembanyama out for the season
Without Wembanyama available now, here's what the Spurs starting lineup could or perhaps should look like down the stretch of the regular season now.
Starting Position | Spurs Starter |
|---|---|
G | Chris Paul |
G | De'Aaron Fox |
SF | Devin Vassell |
PF | Harrison Barnes |
C | Jeremy Sochan |
At least initially, I don't foresee the Spurs shaking too much up with the starting lineup outside of Jeremy Sochan replacing Wembanyama at center. That's a downgrade, obviously, though, so you have to wonder if the early returns aren't there if Gregg Popovich will further adjust with different combinations.
Where things could initially be a bit more interesting than that, however, is with the rotation. With Sochan likely starting, we could see more from Julian Champagnie at the four coming off of the bench and, similarly, once Charles Bassey is back to full health, seeing him get more minutes in the frontcourt as well.
There will certainly be more asked in terms of the scoring load from the newcomer, Fox, and Devin Vassell as well. What could make or break the Spurs with any hopes of making the playoff or Play-In Tournament, though, could be rookie Stephon Castle. He started to come into his own since the calendar turned to 2025, averaging 14.9 points and 3.6 assists in January while upping that to 18.0 points and 3.3 assists per game in seven February games before the All-Star break.
Longer term, Wembanyama's health is now a massive factor to consider with the Spurs. But as most any NBA team will tell you, injuries (even of the rare variety) are simply part of the game and how San Antonio deals with that will be something to watch over the final months of the regular season.