Latest Wembanyama update tells Spurs fans exactly what they want to hear

San Antonio's star, Victor Wembanyama, is back to playing basketball fearlessly. Marc Stein's recently published Substack tells us so (paid). It's encouraging. It's exciting. "I'm told he played in some recent full-court runs at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles and, just so you know, is said to have looked quite stellar," Stein wrote.

When the Spurs' franchise center was ruled out for the remainder of the season in February, it was like time stood still. The hopes and dreams of finally returning to the playoffs after a six-year hiatus were already hanging by a thread after a tough January, but this put the nail in the coffin and forced a speed run through the funeral. But there was a worse thought in the heads of the fan base.

"What if this is the start of an injury-prone Wembanyama?" The DVT diagnosis is a rare one, but he's a rare size, and that fact alone has terrified everyone since before he stepped foot on an NBA court. Whether it's fair or not, it's a fear that's paralyzed NBA fans everywhere, as so many are invested in seeing The Alien reach his potential. But it's nice to hear that he's back on track fully.

Wembanyama will be ready for the Spurs season

The worst thing that could happen to start the new campaign in the mind of Spurs Nation would be if the team announced that the 7'4" phenom wasn't ready to start the year. For one, it would feel like the Devin Vassell situation all over again. Last season, Dev's debut was pushed back like LeBron's hairline because he didn't have surgery on his foot until late June.

When he returned to the court, he had some success off the bench before inconsistency reared its ugly head. He was up and down all year. Vassell is a big part of this team, so it was tough to overcome, and the entire team struggled to find consistency on offense as one of the main cogs couldn't be relied upon on a nightly basis.

Nobody wants that for Wembanyama. Not to mention, he was fully cleared in July, so he's had months to prepare for the season. There's no way that a lingering effect that rears its head right before the season wouldn't send San Antonio's fans into a frenzy. But so far, so good. If he were having residual effects, the team wouldn't allow him to play basketball at some random court in LA.

So, there are two parts to this good news. One is that he's out there, so he's clearly feeling healthy with no restrictions. The second is that last statement from Stein. He didn't say that he looked "pretty good" or "alright," he said he looked "quite stellar." Those words were chosen for a reason, and Spurs Nation is here for it. Bring on the season.