Fans should thank Spurs' hated Wembanyama strategy for solving crucial flaw

After making his return from a hyperextended knee, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was promptly put on a minutes restriction. That has become a recurring theme, with this marking the second time in about a month that he's been put on a restriction.

Fans may hate the minutes restriction, and Wembanyama may hate it too. However, there is an obvious silver lining that could help both him and the team in the long run.

The Alien tends to be far more productive on a per-minute basis with limited playing time. In fact, his aggression level seems to be dialed up whenever he has a minute limit.

In the 11 games where he's played 27 minutes or fewer, he's averaging a blistering 22.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 23.3 minutes. His efficiency is also equally impressive: 54.8% from the field, 38.9% from three, and 80.8% from the line on 6.6 attempts per game.

Case in point: against the Boston Celtics, Wembanyama scored 21 points in addition to 10 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 26 minutes. While he is obviously averaging better numbers on the season as a whole, it's clear that when he has a cap on his playing time, he is far more assertive.

Wembanyama is learning a valuable lesson while on a minute restriction

The Spurs may continue to cap his minutes in the short term to mitigate the risk of reinjury. They also don't have to play him big minutes due to the performance of Luke Kornet. Kornet has more than proven that he is a starting-caliber center and has done all of the little things needed to help a team thrive.

And while the Silver and Black shouldn't play him over Wembanyama solely because of that, it ensures they don't struggle with him on the bench. It takes pressure off the Spurs to ramp up his minutes before they are ready to do so.

In many ways, it was like how San Antonio treated Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili. He would frequently have injuries that would keep him out for a week or two, then return, and the team would gradually ramp up his minutes over several games.

The Spurs could be better for Wembanyama being more aggressive

Yes, it was frustrating, but for a player who was frequently injured, Ginobili only had one season-ending injury in his career. The point is that there may be a method to the team's madness.

In the meantime, we are seeing a more assertive Wembanyama when his minutes are capped. It's been a thing of beauty too, with him seemingly figuring out how to counter defenses and cook them. Against the Celtics, he punished them in the mid-range when guarded by a shorter player, which allowed him to shoot over his defender.

Obviously, he won't be playing limited minutes forever. But if he can keep the same energy when he's playing 33–36 minutes per game, then that would be a scary thought. No more passive play or letting himself get pushed around, just Wemby in straight attack mode, and he's learning how to do so now.