On Sunday, Victor Wembanyama’s extremely promising career hit an important milestone: he played in his first All-Star Game. It turned out to be, in all likelihood, the final game of his second NBA season. Wembanyama is now expected to miss the remainder of the season due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. What a difference a few days can make.
The priority now is ensuring a speedy recovery. By all accounts, the Spurs expect this to be an isolated incident. Wembanyama’s long-term outlook is positive, and San Antonio’s future remains bright because of it. But what about the short-term? What does Wembanyama’s absence for the remainder of this season mean for the both the Spurs and the rest of the league? Below are some of the key ripple effects of Thursday’s news.
1. Wemby is out of the running for awards
Wembanyama will end this season having played 65 games. That obviously takes him out of the running for a number of honors he was in line to receive. He will no longer be the Defensive Player of the Year, nor will he be chosen to an All-Defense or All-NBA Team after the season.
Wembanyama obviously has plenty of time to win trophies, and he still has two years to earn eligibility for the more lucrative Rose Rule max contract. In all likelihood, he does so, but removing him from the running this season makes it far easier for other players to cash in on the contractual benefits that come with those honors.
The big “winner” here, if anyone can really win an injury, would be Evan Mobley. Last offseason, Mobley reportedly signed a five-year, $224 million max rookie extension with the Cavaliers. However, that contract reportedly had Rose Rule escalators included that could take it to $269 million. Mobley was already an All-NBA candidate, but removing Wembanyama from the picture almost certainly opens up a spot. Wembanyama had all but run away with Defensive Player of the Year (he was a -2000 favorite on Thursday morning before the injury news broke). Now, Mobley is right in the thick of the race. Either honor would make Mobley…
..
