Why Can’t Victor Wembanyama Just Play Basketball?

Popovich said Wembanyama’s absence Friday was “mandated” by the team’s medical staff.

“He’s got a minutes restriction and he can’t play back-to-backs for a couple of weeks until they take another picture and check out his foot again,” Popovich said.

This mandate is like giving oxycodone to a drug addict.

Of course there’s a mandate, this is right in Pop’s playing time OCD wheelhouse — Victor was only averaging 30 minutes before he injured his ankle.

Pop got into the habit of micro managing Tim Duncan’s (and others) minutes as he got older and it carried over into Victor’s rookie season: a 37 year old Tim on a bad knee was getting the same minutes as 19 year old Victor.

Ugh.

Let’s run through what we have here.

First, was Victor at least legitimately hurt at one point?

100% yes.

I saw it myself at the Frost Bank Center. He tweaked his ankle and was in real pain during the Jazz game:

Victor was on a minutes restriction again and, in the first half, he actually hurt his ankle but the Spurs played on and he was able to walk it off.

This was a victory of sorts for the Spurs in that everyone (Pop) saw that Victor isn’t made of paper mâché.

But the after game prognosis may call for missed games and, if so, I’d co-sign — Victor was in real anguish as soon as it happened.

If he needs to miss 10 games to flatten these ankle issues, there will be zero complaints from me.

Anyways, the game went on and Victor didn’t show any obvious signs of pain. Victor had started the game off with some momentum so the injury may very well have slowed him.

But missing games because he’s injured is one thing.

What we have now is Pop with a seemingly legitimate medical excuse to play puppet master with Victor’s playing time for the rest of the season and, really, all of eternity.

Because look at how this has played out:

• Victor can’t play back-to-backs “for a couple of weeks”
• And now he’s capped at 25-ish minutes per game otherwise

You can talk me into the back-to-backs.

Let’s say you’ve got a fruit stand and you catch me well before I’m even with the cart and extol the benefits of fruit and how yours is completely organic. I’m not one to buy fruit on the street but that might get the job done.

But what makes no sense is the minutes restriction. Here’s what I wrote after the Celtics game:

Is Victor hurt or isn’t he?

If he’s hurt, sit him.

If he’s fine, play him.

This minutes restriction looks more and more idiotic with each passing game.

What exactly is the point here? That he’s going to play 5 less minutes a game and it’s somehow going to prevent him from being injured again?

I completely agree with myself.

What are we being led to believe here, that if Victor plays 30 minutes instead of 25, we need to have EMS on standby?

Victor is fine. He hurt his ankle at one point playing basketball. It happens. He got some rest and maybe rehab and now he’s out there dunking like Dr. J on Space Jam effects.

Yes, the man who just took one dribble from half court and dunked on Sunday (two days ago) is the one who can’t play more than 25 minutes a game and cannot play back-to-backs.

The Reality of Injury

Injuries happen. In basketball, in anything.

But we bounce back.

Maybe we walk it off. Maybe we rest for a couple of days. Maybe we rehab for a couple of weeks or months.

But at some point, it’s showtime again.

I stubbed my toe on something a few years ago and it hurt like hell. I still got up the next day and sat in front of my computer.

If Victor’s fine, you have to play him.

If he’s hurt, put him on the sideline until he’s ready to go again.

But this no back-to-backs and minutes restriction reeks of someone with a control complex and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Victor says he’s fine.

He looks fine.

Play ball.

RE: Doctors

The problem with doctor advice is it’s skewed because of their asymmetric downside.

The doctor says, Victor’s fine. He rolled his ankle but he just needs to rest a few days and he’ll be back to 100%.

Victor misses the next game and then suits up four days later. In the second quarter, he falls and grabs his ankle. The entire Spurs coaching and medical staff slow head turns and stares at the doctor.

With that kind of risk at stake, what’s the doctor’s incentive to not err on the side of the most caution you can recommend with a straight face?

As someone with a bachelor’s in Common Sense, master’s in Mastering the Obvious, and a PhD in Elephants in the Room, here’s my official assessment:

Ask Victor if he’s fine. Make him promise to tell us if he feels any pain or any discomfort, for real though. Send him back out there.

Update: Does the most famous sports doctor in the world, Brian Sutterer agree with me? Read my newest Victor minutes restriction article to find out.