Encouraging Wembanyama report comes with revelation Spurs fans won't like

Victor Wembanyama reportedly underwent surgery to address the blood clot in the shoulder that cost him the rest of the season post-All-Star Break. This was reported earlier today, along with a quote from the French national team's head coach for the Eurobasket Tournament in August, who revealed that Wembanyama has every intention of participating.

"He's motivated to be part of the team," Frederic Fauthoux said. This news isn't necessarily surprising despite Vic's current health situation. He's been clear and consistent about the love he has for his country and his desire to represent them in national competition. If the doctors clear him to play, the franchise star will most certainly give it ago.

My initial response to this news was negative. I, like many of the Spurs fans whose complaints I've read on social media today, was concerned about whether he's giving himself sufficient time to recover. After careful consideration, I've changed my mind, and when you hear the explanation, you'll understand why.

Wembanyama must be ready for the start of the next NBA season

Victor Wembanyama was shut down before playing another game after All-Star Weekend. He's been recovering since then. Being cleared to for activity means exactly that, and there's no reason Wembanyama should sit out of the Eurobasket Tournament for the sake of rest when, at that point, he would have been resting for six months.

When athletes are put on blood thinners, they're unable to work on much of anything, so the Alien is already losing precious time when he could be working on his game. Playing in a tournament that ends less than a month before training camp begins will give him a chance to get himself into basketball shape before next year's preseason.

The Spurs struggled at the beginning of this year for several reasons, but one of them was due to Wembanyama being rusty. He played in the Paris Olympics last year, and that prompted the coaching staff to work him in slowly so he had additional downtime before the 82-game slate got started. This time, things could work in reverse.

The Eurobasket Tournament will be the perfect opportunity to get that 7'4" frame ready for the rigors of another NBA season. Besides, it's fun watching him play with FIBA basketball. They're different rules and physical play is entertaining, and if Wembanyama is playing, the league will likely find a way to stream it somewhere. We'll be waiting to tune into that. Every time he steps on the floor, it's cinema.