Advertisement

Latest Wembanyama injury update signals end to ROY contest after legendary performance

What Victor Wembanyama's response to a question about his minutes restriction tells you about what's to come.
Jahlil Williams
Jahlil Williams

Air Alamo

Victor Wembanyama / Gregory Shamus/GettyImages

The only thing that's been worse than watching the Spurs lose some of the close games they have recently to good teams is seeing Victor Wembanyama firmly planted on the bench for elongated stretches due to his minutes restriction.

The move is understandable. Everyone is already concerned about his size and wants to take great care of his slender frame, but that doesn't make it any easier to stomach losing winnable games when your best player isn't being unleashed. But fear not; the moment you've all been waiting for may be coming to an end soon.

Wembanyama's recent output tells you he's ready to end all debates

Despite the limitations of his playing time, he has been a force on both sides of the floor. Over the last eight games, Wemby has averaged 20 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 3.8 blocks. He's shooting 5.5 free throws a game at 85% over this stretch. Eight games is when his minutes restriction began so this production is coming in about 24 minutes per game. When you extrapolate the numbers to per 36, it paints a clear picture of what's on the horizon.

Unfortunately, for all other viable contenders, Wemby will soon be unshackled, shutting down all comers for the Rookie of the Year crown. He has been putting together a string of historic performances, and as well as Chet Holmgren and Jaime Jacquez Jr. have played, there is another tier called Alien that they are simply not equipped for.

Wemby has been on fire lately. Increasing his minutes is going to be fun to watch for all involved. He has been anxious to get back to the norm. With Tre Jones now in the starting lineup, things are starting to fall into place for the number one draft pick. He has someone to feed him consistently, and for someone so thin, he's shown he has a hell of an appetite.

Jahlil Williams

Jahlil Williams

Jahlil Williams is the Site Expert for Air Alamo, covering the San Antonio Spurs since 2023. His relentless drive and unique writing style propelled him from contributor to the leader of the Spurs-focused site in less than a year. With a Bachelor of Science in Sportscasting from the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting at Full Sail University, Jahlil learned how to perform at a high level in every aspect of sports, from writing to production, with direction from industry professionals such as Dan Patrick and Gus Ramsey. He's added WNBA coverage to his resume in 2025, with heavy focus on the Dallas Wings as a credentialed media member.