Devastating Victor Wembanyama news points Spurs in an obvious direction

San Antonio Spurs fans were worried when they saw Victor Wembanyama on the injury report for Thursday's game against the Suns. He was initially listed as doubtful with an illness, but that changed on Thursday afternoon.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Wembanyama would not only be sidelined against Phoenix but would miss the rest of the season with a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. It was discovered when he returned to San Antonio from All-Star Weekend in San Francisco.

As scary as that sounds (because it is), Mike Finger said the Spurs "aren't worried about his long-term health." The expectation is that he'll be back in time for the start of next season. Of course, the main concern isn't when Wemby will play basketball again, but whether he'll be okay. Luckily, it sounds like he will be.

Spurs will be without Victor Wembanyama for the rest of the season

Wembanyama alone was enough to make people wonder if San Antonio would secure a Play-In Tournament spot, and that was before the Spurs traded for De'Aaron Fox. San Antonio currently sits three and a half games back from No. 10 Golden State, who acquired Jimmy Butler at the deadline.

Even after trading for Fox, the Spurs didn't seem to be pushing for a Play-In bid. They posted a 2-3 record in the games he played before the break. Breakout rookie star Stephon Castle is still coming off the bench, even though it'd make sense for him to start over veteran Chris Paul. Fans have been scratching their heads over Mitch Johnson's rotations.

Many concluded that Johnson's post-Fox trade rotations were a result of San Antonio quietly tanking for a higher draft pick. Now that Wembanyama is out for the season, the direction the Spurs need to head in is clear.

Finishing in Play-In range was already going to be a challenge for San Antonio, and that was with Wemby. The Spurs could still finish in the top-10 without him, although that seems very unlikely. It would make way more sense to focus on the future.

They have the Hawks' unprotected first-round pick in the 2025 draft and their own. Atlanta is 26-29 but could easily tumble down the standings in the season's final stretch, especially after the team's trade deadline moves. San Antonio could enter June's draft with two lottery picks to add to a team full of young talent.

With Wemby out, it's time to embrace the tank.