5 Bold Stat predictions for Victor Wembanyama during his rookie season

1.) Wembanyama will play 70 games and averaged 30 mpg

A lot has been made about Wembanyama's rail-thin frame and how he will need to put on muscle to adapt to the NBA. That is likely true, but it won't happen overnight, so I fully expect the Spurs to have a minutes restriction and a game limit for him. Wemby being limited to about 30 minutes per game as opposed to the big minutes that other recent first-round picks have played is the smart play.
This is especially true because it minimizes the chances of a major or even nagging injury.

Additionally, despite Wembanyama not missing a game last season, it seems safe to say that he will be doing some load management, possibly to the tune of 12 games. 70 games played and 30 minutes per game for Wembanyama seem like reasonable goals. And if he reaches that, he could very well become the third Spurs player behind Robinson and Duncan to win Rookie of the Year.

Better still, it would give the team a much better chance of making the playoffs or the play-in, particularly if they are an above .500 team with Wembanyama and around .500 without him. That could mean playoff basketball for the Spurs for the first time since a game-seven loss to the Denver Nuggets back in 2019. It would also mean that Wembanyama is healthy heading into the summer, allowing him to build off his rookie season and hopefully make a big jump during his second season.