Major Wemby crossroads thrust upon Spurs bring frustrating complications

Victor Wembanyama needs one more 20-minute game to meet the 65-game threshold for eligibility to win end-of-season awards. If the rib injury he suffered last night against Philadelphia is serious enough, the Spurs may want to hold him out until the postseason begins.

There's a balance that hopefully can be struck here so Wemby can qualify for what he's earned, but everything is complicated now. It isn't just about whether he can play 65 for me. It's about continuing to get ready for the most intense stretch run of his career.

The Spurs are still preparing for the playoffs

The Silver and Black have earned their status as contenders in the eyes of the public, but they're still sharpening their edges for the tournament, and they weren't done. Everyone is mostly concerned about Wembanyama winning his first Defensive Player of the Year trophy and making an All-NBA team. Those are valid worries, but honestly, I think they'll figure that one out.

We haven't received an update on the Alien's health yet, but I agree with Mitch Johnson's postgame assertion that it's probably a good sign that he played a bit more after the initial injury occurred. The shot he took from Kelly Oubre didn't look too intense, so I'm going to operate under the assumption that the rib bruise is on the lesser end of the severity scale until we hear otherwise.

However, that doesn't mean San Antonio still won't want to exercise some additional caution to ensure their superstar is as ready for the postseason as possible. That could mean cutting down his minutes or sitting him out a game or two down the stretch. That's not ideal, as you'd like the guys to finish the season out with momentum together.

That loss to Denver wasn't a huge deal, but it revealed some chinks in the armor. The Spurs still need to iron out how their offense looks down the stretch in close games, and they're potentially being robbed of their final opportunities to do that at full strength.

The San Antonio Spurs want it all this year

The timing of this injury couldn't be worse. Though I'm confident that Wemby will be healthy enough to play at least one more game, you can't help but think about what happens if he doesn't. All of a sudden, that 65-game rule becomes the center of another large discussion since most people are on the same page about Vic's inevitable Defensive Player of the Year victory.

He has the potential to earn unanimous votes, and it would be a first. How jarring would it be to go from everyone understanding that with less than a week to go in the season to Chet Holmgren or someone else winning? Wembanyama has already been robbed of two DPOY trophies.

He should be on his way to a third straight, but he's still sitting on zero. Seeing it happen again would be unacceptable.

San Antonio dealt with enough adversity to last a lifetime last season. It's unfortunate to see this one ending on rocky waters. After the campaign they've put together, they deserve to finish with a bang heading into the postseason for the first time in seven years. Alas, we rarely get what we deserve.