The San Antonio Spurs announced star big man Victor Wembanyama will miss time with a left calf strain suffered in a loss to the Warriors on Friday night. Wembanyama sat out the Spurs’ win over the Kings on Sunday night and is now expected to be out of action for at least a few weeks, per Shams Charania.
A firm timetable for his return was not provided, but the San Antonio Express-News reports he will be re-evaluated in two or three weeks.
Wembanyama has gotten off to a phenomenal start to his third season in the league, averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game on 50.2/34.5/85.7 shooting splits. Thanks to Wembanyama’s emergence as one of the game’s most dominant two-way figures, the Spurs have raced out to a 9-4 record and sit in fifth place in the Western Conference.
If he were to miss three weeks of action, that would mean Wembanyama would be out for 10 games. For a player who became the early yet heavy favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year and put himself at least in the conversation for Most Valuable Player, a 10-game absence would leave him with little margin to fulfill the NBA’s new 65-game requirement for major individual awards.
Wembanyama would only be able to miss seven additional games the remainder of the season to retain award eligibility. Given teams generally ease players back into action after calf strains — limit the number of back-to-backs they play — his awards candidacy could be in serious jeopardy. Thunder big man Chet Holmgren (+130) moved into being the new DPOY favorite at FanDuel, with Wembanyama (+400) sliding to second with the news of his injury.
On the court, the Spurs will have to lean on De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and their talented backcourt in Wembanyama’s absence. San Antonio’s performance against Sacramento offered a glimpse into how they can still find success without Wembanyama, pushing the tempo and leaning on their offensive talent without their defensive anchor on the floor. Luke Kornet got the start at center against the Kings and veteran Kelly Olynyk moved into the backup role.
The Spurs will have two more home games to figure out their plan without Wembanyama before a heavy road stretch with six of their next seven games away from San Antonio, including difficult matchups with Denver, Minnesota, Orlando and Cleveland.
Only 1.5 games separate the Spurs in fifth from the Suns in eighth in the West, and the next few weeks will be a serious early season challenge for Mitch Johnson’s group in learning how to handle adversity without their star.
