First Victor Wembanyama injury updates include hopeful silver lining

The first thing that crosses the minds of Spurs fans whenever the team announces a Victor Wembanyama injury has to be, "Please, don't be serious." Well, no need to fear. Wemby may have a calf strain, but all signs point to his time off being a classic San Antonio precaution. ESPN's Michael C. Wright shared an update that should ease the minds of all concerned parties.

Hearing that the towering Frenchman "feels fine" will likely aggravate some fans as much as it will relieve others, but that's the life of a Spurs fan. We should be grateful for it, too. Coach Pop was a master at managing minutes and extending the careers of his players. That institutional knowledge will be key for keeping guys at the peak of their powers for as long as possible.

While it may be crazy to say out loud, we haven't really gotten close to what Wemby's ceiling will be. But he's got a body type that scares people every time he gets injured, so they're going to be significantly more cautious with him, so we can get there and see it for a long time. In the meantime, the Spurs have enough to win games without him.

The Spurs' schedule isn't tough over the next few weeks

Wright has covered the Spurs off and on for a long time, so if he was told that Vic feels fine, that's great news. Hopefully, he'll be sidelined close to the earlier side of his recovery timeline. While he's out, the "next man up" mentality must permeate the locker room. That should be easier, knowing what's coming down the pike.

Let's just look at the schedule over the next two weeks and go from there, depending on Wemby's reevaluation. In order, San Antonio's upcoming games will be against the Grizzlies, Hawks, Suns, Trail Blazers, Nuggets, and Timberwolves. That takes the guys to an off-day on Monday, December 1. While every team may not be a lottery challenger, most of the games are winnable.

The Nuggets and Timberwolves are the most concerning of the bunch. Not only are they good teams based on their current records, but their cores also have a ton of experience playing together. Beating them without Vic will be very difficult. Nobody else on the list poses the same threat, though.

Portland and Atlanta have improved, but they aren't scaring anyone. The Grizzlies and the Suns are just bad teams. I know the Spurs lost to Phoenix already, so the Silver and Black have to respect them, but they aren't on the same tier as the others. 4-2 or 5-1 is obtainable here. If Wemby is on the verge of returning at that point, this will be remembered as nothing but a minor speed bump on a fantastic ride.